


Catlike Affection

by Arel_Rhink



Category: Rhett & Link, rhink - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Link kitty, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:56:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7370092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arel_Rhink/pseuds/Arel_Rhink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett buys himself a “supernaturally affected” cat, which ends up being exactly what the doctor ordered for his lonely heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of these chapters contain M-rated content (but not this one). I'll be sure to put a note before those chapters. The rest of this is chock full of fluff :) Hope you enjoy!!!

“Just this way to the kitty playroom, Mr. McLaughlin,” the young receptionist said with a bright smile as she led an incredibly tall man down the west end of the humane society’s lobby. The receptionist opened the door at the end of the hall, letting the man inside.

“Thank you, Lyn,” he said softly as she walked inside. Immediately, the tall blonde was happy he was going for a kitten because he knew if he were going for a dog, the whole room would be a cascading mess of barking and yipping. He was just too used to the silence to deal with any of that noise. The kitty playroom was full of delight for the gentle giant. He eyed the room with a sweet smile. There were about thirty or so energetic little balls of fluff tromping around, chasing each other, and fiddling with little jingle balls or crumpled paper pieces. Some of the kittens would trip on themselves or flip over, misjudging their reckless speed, and the sight made the man coo and giggle, catching the attention of the short, young employee in the back of the room. She turned around and grew surprised at the client. Her big, brown eyes widened in awe as she marveled in his incredible height.

“I didn’t expect a noise that soft coming from a guy like you,” she commented, eyeing the man from head to toe. He chuckled as a smile stretched across his face.

“You’re not the first to say something like that,” he commented as he scratched his neatly trimmed beard.

“I’m Julia, the kitty caretaker,” she said with a giggle. She stretched her tanned hand out towards him, and he took it gently.

“Rhett. Nice to meet you,” he added with a nod.

“What kind of cat are you looking for? Playful? Quiet? Good around kids? Independent?” Julia asked, tying up the bag of kitty litter she was collecting. Rhett roamed a bit around the room, eyeing the kittens again and smiling at their overwhelming cuteness.

“I… I don’t really know. They all seem really cute and friendly.” He continued browsing the little furry companions until his eye caught a chocolate-colored maine coon sitting in the corner of the room, clearly uninterested in the other kittens. It seemed to be rather anxious whenever one of them passed him by. The little fluffy kitten’s isolation drew Rhett closer to him, for he too was a loner. Once the kitten caught wind of the man nearing him, its big blue eyes lit up and its ears perked up. Rhett could swear if cats could smile, this one was.

Rhett kneeled down to not frighten the little kitty. “Hey, buddy…” he purred as he brought his slightly curled index finger out towards the little brown kitten. It opened its mouth and made a little peeping noise before moving forward. Its little whiskers tickled Rhett’s skin as it sniffed his finger. Julia had been watching, and she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Whaaaaat…?!?!” she exclaimed with a soft volume, careful not to startle the kittens. Rhett snapped his head at her with a concerned, questioning look. “I… You… No one’s ever been able to interact with that cat. He was too weird for us to figure out, so we figured he just needed time to get used to the society.”

“What do you mean?” Rhett asked. The little kitten was rubbing his fluffy face against the back of his hand.

“Well, for one, his eyesight isn’t too good. He seems to run into things a lot, and it’s hard to get his attention visually, so he has a hard time playing with the cat toys.” She maneuvered her way across the sea of rampant kitties to where Rhett was. The maine coon acted as though he didn’t even notice her arrival, as he was too busy purring and mewing softly as he continued marking the blonde man. “Also, he doesn’t usually act like most cats. It’s like he was once raised by apes or something. Maybe even wolves for all we know… like the lady who brought him here found him in the wilderness or something. We think he’s a runt or something, too, ‘cause he hasn’t been growing much since he was admitted here.” The two watched the kitten cuddle up and fall against Rhett’s sneakers. His shimmering, blue eyes looked up to match Rhett’s. “He must really like you, Rhett.”

“I guess I found myself a friend, huh?” he chuckled, picking up the tiny little fluffball with his gentle hands.

“Awesome. I’ll just clean up his kennel and meet you in the lobby later,” Julia cheered, swiping away the black locks that tickled her forehead. She jotted down the kennel number on a strip of paper and handed it to Rhett. “Take this to Lyn at the front desk. She’ll have some forms for you to fill out.”

“Thank you, Jules,” he responded, trading the kitten for the slip of paper.

He headed to the lobby, and Lyn grinned like mad when she saw the paper in his hand.

“Oh, yay!! I’m so glad you were able to find the kitten you were looking for!” She took the slip from him and punched the code in the computer. Her expression changed to a more surprised one as the results flashed on the screen. “Oh, wow! You picked little Charles! I’m sure he’ll be excited to come to a warm, loving home.” She smiled at the blonde again as she gathered the necessary forms.

“Charles?” Rhett asked with a giggle.

“That was the name the woman who brought him here registered him with. Feel free to change it as you wish. He’s still young enough to be accustomed to a new name.”

Rhett thought in silence for a little while. “How ‘bout… Link?”

“Aw, that’s cute. I really like that,” Lyn commented. Her face practically glowed at the idea.

When Rhett was finished with the paperwork and made his payment, Julia came back with his new cuddly companion in a travel kennel. Rhett’s jade eyes sparkled at the sight and didn’t hesitate to take the kennel from her. He left the humane society after another brief ‘thank you’ to the two lovely ladies who helped him. He couldn’t wait to take his new buddy home.

When they finally arrived to the house, Rhett freed his kitty from the box. Link immediately mewed as he noticed light entering the box. Two large hands swiftly and gently lifted him out of the kennel and set him down on his living room carpet. He figured the little guy would want to explore the house a bit while Rhett set up his new kitty stuff. He was surprised to find the cat following him everywhere he went, clearly uninterested in his new surroundings. He didn’t seem the slightest bit curious. Rhett thought about what Julia had said about him and his strange behaviors. He was starting to get the picture, but wanted to see how far it would go. However, he clearly loved that little bundle of fur, and couldn’t resist to pet and baby the little guy. He found himself using a baby voice every time he talked to him.

“You want some food, li’l Linkster?” he squealed, pouring some kibble in the food bowl he had bought him. Link completely ignored the food and instead continued cuddling against Rhett. Eventually, the man was able to convince his kitten to eat his food, and he watched him eat, internally cooing at every bite.

He later tried playing with Link. He crumpled up a piece of paper and teased him with it, but the kitty was completely focused on something else. Cats weren’t usually very focused, so Rhett was very confused on that regard. Although Julia had said he didn’t have the best vision and it would be difficult to grasp his attention, Rhett could swear Link had his focus glued to him.

Eventually, nightfall had arrived, and both Rhett and Link were exhausted and ready to turn in for the day. Rhett gently carried the ball of fluff to his bedroom and placed him on the comforter of his California King bed. He undressed to his boxers and climbed into bed. Of course, it didn’t take long for Link to waddle his way to Rhett’s scruffy face. He licked the man’s nose and beard, tickling his skin with that strange sandpaper texture. The man’s gentle petting made Link’s purring louder and slightly faster as he curled up against his newfound friend’s neck. Rhett giggled at the feeling of the soft fur warming his neck, and began massaging the purring kitten.

Rhett whispered to the sleepy fuzz ball, “Aww, Link… Being all cute curled up in a ball. You look so tiny like that… so tiny.” He nuzzled his face against the happy kitty, relishing in the soothing frequency of his purrs. “I’d give you a hug, but I don’t wanna squish you,” he giggled, shifting away a little bit so Link was right in the center of his vision. The kitten batted his heavy, blue eyes at the man, showing off their magnificent radiance. Rhett moved his face closer to his little buddy, and pecked Link’s teeny pink nose with a smile.

“Goodnight, Linky…”

~*~

The sun hadn’t even come up yet when Rhett’s slumber was interrupted by a foreign stirring against his left side. His eyes fluttered open to see what was going on. He suddenly jumped at the sight of a head of thick, wavy, dark brown hair pressed up against his jaw and neck. When he backed away, he noticed that the man in his bed was also completely nude, and had cat ears poking out from the top of his head. The blonde’s eyes widened in confusion and sheer panic.


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay, who the heck are you, and why are you in my house?!?!” Rhett barked, scaring the other man awake, darting away to the far side of the bed. “And what you doing in my bed?!?! And… naked?!” Rhett’s panicked eyes scanned the brunet several times while awaiting an answer. The man didn’t speak, he just sat there staring back at him with a mixture of fear, confusion, and sadness in his somehow familiar blue eyes. After about a minute of silence, Rhett spoke up again, this time with anger burning in his intimidating gaze. “Well?!?!” The other man winced sharply, making a strange squeaking noise in response. The sound surprised and confused the tall blonde – enough to make him jump back and stare in questioning astonishment. The stranger leaned closer, maintaining that sad and confused expression. His hand moved closer to Rhett and landed on the mattress beside him. The brunet’s gaze dropped to the limb he just moved, and his expression drastically changed to mere astonishment.

He slowly moved back, bringing his own hand up towards his face. The brunet stretched and flexed his fingers almost like he was trying to extend claws from his long fingertips. His hands shook nervously as he attempted to move the fingers independently. He gasped heavily as the bare stranger palmed his face and fiddled with his shaggy chocolate-colored locks. Rhett only laid there confused and motionless, watching the strange, yet beautiful man thoroughly study his own features.

“Are… you okay?” Rhett asked, deeply concerned for the man’s behavior. While still waiting for an actual response, he searched around the room for his beloved kitten. Once he concluded that Link wasn’t in the room with him, he whipped his head back at the stranger’s direction with an accusatory gaze. “Hey!! Where’s my cat?!” he barked. The other man’s big, brown cat ears twitched and perked in Rhett’s direction. “My kitten! Where is he? Did you take him?!” Again, the man did not respond. Rhett was growing impatient with his intruder. “I swear… if you hurt my little Link, I –”

The other man interrupted him with another squeak. This time, it was higher pitched and a bit louder than the last time.

Rhett was becoming incredibly frustrated. “Why do you keep doing that?!?! Can you speak?! Say something!! Who the heck are you?!?!” The strange man paused, looking down at the mattress space between them. He soon started muttering softly to himself, experimenting with the sounds emitting from his mouth. “Your NAME! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!?!” Rhett yelled, glaring at the other man with his fierce, jade eyes.

“L… Leen… Link” the man finally pronounced. Rhett’s nerves felt like they shattered and his heart skipped a beat at the soft tenor voice speak his beloved companion’s name. The way his tender voice glazed over that one syllable was so enthralling, Rhett felt chills wave through his body, leaving goose bumps on his skin.

“Yes! Link! My cat! Where is he?” Rhett pried, leaning forward ever so slightly. His anticipation rose immensely, especially now that he knew the man was capable of actually answering him instead of squeak at him like an animal. The brunet slowly lifted his gaze to Rhett’s eyes. An enticing smile stretched across his stubbled face. There was a special glint in his cerulean eyes that Rhett felt familiar, but could not quite place. Suddenly, the man moved closer on his arms, moving them as though he were a tiger moving in on his prey. His shoulders rolled with a feline flair that made Rhett blush profusely.

“Rhett…” the man whispered with his silky voice as he pushed himself into the other man. Rhett froze as the stranger snuggled up against his chest, brushing his ticklish stubble and soft, wavy hair against the taller man’s warm chest. Right as he was about to push the man off of him, Rhett felt the other somehow vibrating against him, like when Link was purring them both to sleep. With a simple inhale, he caught the familiar cat-like smell emanating from the man’s dark hair. The purring man rubbed his jaw against Rhett’s chest before turning his head to look up into Rhett’s eyes. The admiration those shimmering, blue irises displayed was unmistakable… This man was Link. He didn’t know why or how, but he just had to be.

“Link?” Rhett whispered, staring intently into that hypnotizing gaze. The man… no, Link… purred into a little squeak as he inched his face closer until his cheek reached Rhett’s beard. He rubbed his face all over Rhett’s jaw, tickling the hairs on his chin. As weird as this all felt, Rhett couldn’t help but succumb to the sweet, cuddly sensation, letting Link express the affection he desperately needed for a long time. However, the second he felt a damp tongue lapping softly at his beard, Rhett leaped out of the bed in a frenzy. With his breathing now quick and heavy, his head spinning like crazy, and his limbs shaking, Rhett stared wide-eyed at the man still in his bed. He couldn’t believe he let himself warm up so quickly to whatever predicament he was in. The man he was starting to realize as Link stared back at him with his sad little eyes. His bare body now exposed from the lifted sheets when Rhett fled the bed. The terrified blonde’s eyes flicked around, examining every part of the brunet’s body – from the tantalizing gleam in his heartrending eyes to the teeny little pout of his soft lower lip, the dark hairs adorning his chest and legs to the dark brown tail that peeked up from behind him. This was definitely a lot to take in, and Rhett was sure he wasn’t dreaming. Sure, he’d had plenty of strange dreams, but this was nothing his imagination could render.

The humane society. They must know about this, shouldn’t they?! If they had, why didn’t they say anything about it? He had to give them a call, hoping that they’d be able to answer any of his multiple questions.


	3. Chapter 3

“Yes. Hi. This is Rhett McLaughlin. Uh, yesterday I adopted a kitten from your facility?” The tall man peeked at his bedroom door across the hallway. His eyes widened at the head that pushed its way through the slight opening. The naked man was on all fours as his sapphire gaze glued to him. The sight was intimidating enough for Rhett’s cell phone to shake in his hand.

“Oh, yes,” Lyn responded on the other end of the call. “You picked up little Charles… or should I say Link? Did you have any questions for us?” Like always, you could hear her smiling through her bright, cheery tone.

“Uh, yes, actually…” Rhett muttered, scratching the back of his neck anxiously as he moved into the living room, away from the other man. “Uh, first of all, how long had he been kept there?” He slowly descended onto his couch, sinking into its soft, golden cushions. He heard the unmistakable sound of clicking and keys being pushed.

“Exactly fifty-two days, sir.”

“Really? He was – is so small, though.”

“We figured he was the runt of his litter, since not only his growth was stunted, but his vision is also impaired, he would stray from the other kittens, and had a hard time eating a lot of the food he was given. Have you been having any problems feeding him or gaining his attention?”

“Ohhh, no. He’s giving me PLENTY of attention…” Rhett suddenly spotted movement in the corner of his eye. He turned to see the man sitting curiously on the ground. His lack of decency had Rhett highly distracted, and that gaze he kept flashing at him wasn’t helping. “But, uh… you guys haven’t noticed anything… odd? Like something you maybe couldn’t explain about him? I… I don’t really know how to ask this.” There was a brief silence on the other line before the receptionist spoke.

“Not that I can recall… I called Julia in here, and she doesn’t know either. Did you experience something with him that you can’t explain, Mr. McLaughlin?” Link had managed his way in front of Rhett’s legs. He nuzzled and rubbed the side of his body against his shin, making the blonde’s muscles tense. He quickly gathered his legs onto the couch, pulling his knees toward his chest.

“Uh, you… you could say that.” There was more typing heard on the other line. The two stayed silent for quite a while. Rhett had no choice but to lock eyes with the man at the edge of his couch. Those bright, curious eyes shimmered in the natural light of the sun’s golden rays. Link emitted a soft hum – barely even a squeak – as he pressed his soft nose against Rhett’s forearm. Rhett was startled at the sensation, but when he saw the brunet solemnly holding it in place on his skin, he couldn’t help but to return his affection with a gentle head massage. The purring felt and sounded weird to Rhett, since he’s not exactly accustomed to that kind of behavior from a human. Granted, it did feel nice under his tense fingers… but he didn’t want to admit that to himself. Lyn’s voice startled Rhett as he remembered he was on the phone.

“We have the name and address of the previous owner. She didn’t give us her number, but I could tell you how to find her for any questions,” she suggested.

“You don’t think that would be kind of weird? Just some stranger strolling by, randomly visiting some lady’s house?” Rhett asked, subconsciously keeping his hand on the brunet’s soft hair. Link nuzzled into the touch until he settled his nose on the back of Rhett’s hand, making the bigger man giggle softly to himself.

“It seems she also does business there, so her address is printed publicly. Some kind of shop it looks like… But anyway, her name’s Tengku Neal. There’s a chance she might be able to answer your questions.” Lyn was right. If he was going to get any explanation for this, asking his previous owner would probably be his best option.

~*~

Later that day, Rhett brought Link along with him to the quaint home with a small sign hanging on the front door, reading “Tengku’s Elixirs and Remedies”. Before heading out, he had forced Link into clothing that was slightly too big for his trim body, as well as a baseball cap to hide his cat ears. The poor guy struggled trying to imitate Rhett’s two-legged walk, but he eventually figured it out on the way over, Rhett holding him up by the waist most of the time. When they finally arrived, Rhett didn’t know if just entering the shop was appropriate, since it was also a home, so he knocked on the door and waited with Link outside on the dusty porch. The brunet didn’t take his hands off the other for even a second. Even if his nose had an itch, he’d nuzzle it against Rhett’s shoulder to scratch it. Rhett was starting to get used to the affection Link was giving him, and surprisingly welcomed it, regardless of how weird his interactions were. The fact that the man was feeling him up out in public, however, made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Rhett was about to knock again when a shorter woman in her mid-fifties opened the door with a suspicious and questioning glare. The bell above the door jingled above the tall doorway.

“You’re not solicitors, are you?” she asked. Her soft, smooth voice contradicted the accusation in her tone. “’Cause if you’re here to sell me something, you’ve come to the wrong place. Get lost.” Her dark eyes flicked between the two men as she awaited an answer.

“No… No, we’re not here to sell you anything. We just, uh –”

“Then why are you knocking? This is a shop. You open the door and the bell tells me someone’s here.” She wiggled the thick wooden door back and forth, making the bell chime until she stopped. The two men continued to stare in utter confusion. “What, are you vampires or something? Do you need a formal invitation? Just come in already!” Rhett stumbled inside, with Link grappling his arm so tight it was starting to lose circulation. The two men followed the woman to the counter. She leaned beside the register and gave the two a quick once-over. “So what kind of elixirs are you looking for?”

Rhett chuckled for a moment, trying to think of how to say what he wanted to get across. Judging by the woman’s demeanor, he had to come up with something quick before her already short patience would run thin. “Well… actually…” he began, “We’re looking for someone named Tengku Neal. We, uh… I… have some questions for her…” He tugged Link forward more, and the brunet seemed hesitant to budge and refused to make eye contact with the woman. “… regarding him.”

“What’s wrong with him? Is he inflicted? Does he need a consultation? What?” she asked, examining the man before her quite thoroughly from over the counter. She quickly snatched the memo pad behind the register and began taking notes rather rampantly.

“No, no… Nothing like that,” Rhett assured. He took a deep breath as he decided to just spit it out. “This man… He’s… apparently the kitten… that she used to own.” The scratching of the woman’s pencil made a sudden stop, breaking off the pointed tip of the graphite. Her head hung still for a moment before hesitantly lifting her gaze back to the taller of the two men first. Her eyes searched his expression as if to make sure she heard him correctly. Her widened, dark eyes shifted to focus on the brunet, who finally decided to look up from the ground. His arms still coddled Rhett’s bicep like a child with a security blanket. Tears slowly built up in her eyes at those familiar blue eyes.

“Charles…?” she whispered, going around the counter and reaching her hand out to the shy brunet. “You look so much like your father… I…” She removed the hat from Link’s head, and she laughed brightly at the sight of his big brown ears perking up from his head. Her interactions made it obvious that she was who Rhett was looking for. “But how did…?” She scurried back to the bookshelf behind the counter and searched frantically.

“So, yeah…” Rhett muttered. He was about to continue with his questions when Tengku spoke up.

“You’d like an explanation, don’t you, boy?” She asked with a chuckle. “I don’t blame you one bit.” She turned back around with a large book, placing the heavy object down carefully on the wooden countertop. “Alchemy isn’t a common practice these days… especially in these parts.” She began flipping through a vast amount of the worn pages. Neither of the men could believe their eyes as the visuals of runes and scrawled illustrations of unknown ingredients skimmed across them in a dusty haze.

“Wait, what? Alchemy?” Rhett asked. He knew what it was, it was just that he had always figured it was only something in stories. The idea of using universal charms and potions to alter things in life completely baffled him. Suddenly it was making sense as to how his cat could’ve turned human.

“Yes! For centuries, my family has practiced the art. Creating and selling our creations is how we’ve been making a living.” She continued flipping through the book.

“Does that mean you have something that can fix this?” Rhett asked with an amount of genuine enthusiasm that surprised him. He questioned what he meant by ‘fix’… as in to change Link back into a cat… or to make him fully human.

Tengku laughed at the question, and then stopped herself when she remembered that the tall man was clueless when it came to potions and their powers and limitations. “Like a universal cure potion? No. Things don’t work that way. Due to the varying treatments and ingredients in each different flask, a cure for all supernatural ailments wouldn’t make sense, now would it? They don’t have medicines that cure everything – just of a specific problem. Alchemy works in a similar way, but to cure the effects depends on the ailment itself.”

“That makes sense,” Rhett answered. Link, seemingly distant to the conversation, continued nuzzling up against Rhett’s shoulder, petting the taller man in various places around his torso while doing so. Rhett subconsciously petted the brunet back on his far shoulder before reaching higher to scratch and massage the back of Link’s head, initiating his strange but soothing purrs. “So then, was he originally a cat or a human? And why did you bring him to the humane society?”

Tengku responded with a stressful sigh as her hands stopped moving through the pages. The room was incredibly silent. Only Link’s purring filled the room for a good, long moment. “Looking back on my actions… I would’ve changed everything,” she finally spoke. The strain in her voice was quite evident. She cleared her throat and began her explanation.

Around thirty five years ago, she had given birth to a baby boy, whom she loved dearly, but didn’t have the knowledge, experience, or help to take care of him. The man who would’ve been Charles’ father left her to take care of him all by herself, and she didn’t have any living family members to help her. Overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a mother brought her to the idea of changing his physical form to that of a companion she could handle… a cat in this case. That way, she wouldn’t have to give up her beloved son. Since she already had a feline accompanying her in her home, she figured it would be the best form she could choose. She derived a potion that worked quite successfully. Her burden was lifted, and her cat got a new little buddy to coddle and raise. As the years passed, Charles became more rebellious and aggressive, to the point where he’d knock over and ruin the merchandise, wasting good ingredients and letting them afflict the customers with their unwanted effects. She eventually couldn’t handle the behavior anymore and practically forgot that this kitten was once her only son, so she admitted him to the humane society in the hopes of him finding a better home with a more patient owner. Once she realized what she had done, it had been nearly a month, so she figured he’d been adopted by that point. She never went back to see if he was still there.

She felt terrible about the whole thing. She completely regretted her past decisions regarding her dear child, and hoped the men would forgive her for her selfish actions. Rhett felt entirely sympathetic towards the woman, and was quick to comfort her with a warm hug.

“Don’t try to beat yourself up about it,” the blonde chimed softly. “You didn’t know better.” He patted and rubbed her back gently as she sniffled over his shoulder. She tried to speak, but her irregular breathing made it impossible. “And listen…” Rhett pulled back a bit, holding her shoulders softly at arms distance. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have met Link – I mean, Charles. I want to thank you for that because for the first time all year, I found someone to make me smile. Sure, at first I thought this someone was just a cuddly little kitten, but…” He turned back to look at Link, who stood behind them with tears in his eyes. His face wore the most heartbroken expression they had ever seen. Rhett stood up and moved back to Link, wrapping his arm around the smaller man. Link purred and nuzzled merrily in the taller man’s comforting embrace. “I know this whole thing is weird…” Rhett commented, eyes locked on the now happy brunet against his chest. “… But I like having someone else around the house, whether he’s a cat or a human. He’s been enjoyable company ever since I brought him home. I need him as much as he needs me.”

“I see,” Tengku said, grinning softly at them as they continued their loving embrace. She noticed that pure look of admiration in her son’s bright blue eyes as he gazed upon Rhett’s face. She chuckled to herself, earning their attention back. She shook her head and refocused her attention to the book, flipping through a couple more pages until she found the one she was looking for. “I found the entry.” Holding Link’s hand, Rhett scurried back over to the counter and peered over the illegible writing.

“What does it say for curing?” Rhett asked eagerly. Link held his companion close, savoring the warmth and security he felt from the taller man.

Tengku’s confused expression made Rhett feel uncomfortable. “It doesn’t say…” she responded. Her eyes frenetically flicked all around the page, even as she flipped it over to see if the back would have any more information. By the looks of it, there wasn’t much to go by. “Well, it doesn’t seem to have a known cure, but it does have a glitch…” She looked up to address Link. “… As you can see.”

“A… glitch?” Link asked in a murmured tone. The other two were shocked at the sudden speech, Rhett being the less shocked of the two.

“What kind of glitch?” Rhett added, pressing Link closer to him. Tengku went back to the entry for reference.

“Due to the natural behavior of some of the potion’s ingredients, his form would change between kitten and human, depending on how he’d behave or feel.” She looked back up to find Link cuddling against the taller man, sporting the sweetest smile that made the brunet look almost childlike. She chuckled again. “It seems his crush has been causing him to feel more human.”

Rhett blushed profusely at the very idea of his own cat finding him attractive, and he was even more surprised that he had been enjoying the intimate attention the whole time they were together, as weird as some of it was. He did, however, still have some concerns and questions.

“If he feels more human, then why does he still have these cat ears? And the tail!!! I had to stuff that big ol’ tail of his down his pant leg! That can’t be comfortable for him!” Rhett turned the other man around to show Tengku the lightly twitching bump in his dark denim jeans going down the length of the back of his left leg. Link squeaked at Rhett, not expecting to be spun around so abruptly. He flashed a cerulean glare at the taller man, and Rhett immediately turned him towards him as gently as he could, holding Link close to his chest. “Sorry, Linky,” he whispered. The soft words calmed the brunet down until he purred, making Rhett feel like he was pressing a big, soft defibrillator against his torso. It was a strange sensation, and he didn’t know if he liked it or not. Either way, it was weird for a human to do. He turned his attention back to Tengku. “And now he’s purring. Humans don’t purr! How do you explain that?!” he asked in an emphasized whisper as the smaller man continued purring and nuzzling against his chest.

Tengku’s initial response was a chiming giggle. “He must still feel his feline instincts… which would explain why his affection is more catlike than humanlike. He’s been raised by cats so long that he might not even know how to display affection like a human would.” Rhett took another look at his blue-eyed companion, tilting his stubbled jaw up for a full-on view of his features. Link’s bright eyes blinked back at him as a warm smile stretched across his pudgy cheeks. As much as he loved Link when he was a teeny little kitten, he would’ve missed that smoldering smile.

“Then what can we do,” Rhett asked softly, “if he wants to be human?”

“Do you want him to be human?” Tengku asked, smiling slyly while crossing her arms across her chest. Rhett looked back at Link’s happy little face.

“I want him to be whatever he wants to be. He deserves the choice.”

Tengku watched the two a bit longer as the silence in the room grew thicker. Her thin lips stretched into a smile the longer she watched them gaze into each other’s eyes. “Well… I guess you’ll have to figure that out for yourselves. And keep me posted, will you? Stop by any time. I am the boy’s mother, after all.” The short woman escorted them outside to her front porch. Rhett thanked her for her time and for answering his questions. Link was brought into a surprise hug from his mother, and he just stood there in shock not knowing what to do.

Just as Rhett was about to follow Link down the wooden steps off her porch, Tengku held his forearm in protest, making him stop and turn his attention back to her. “You’re a good man for being so courteous to me, and especially to… Link.” She giggled softly for a brief moment. “I love that name, by the way. It suits him perfectly.” She quickly wrapped her arms around the man tightly, pressing the side of her face against the taller man’s ribcage. “Take good care of my baby.” Rhett took a moment to see Link waiting for him and watching their exchange with that heartbroken expression again. The blonde smiled to himself before turning back to the older woman releasing her grip.

“I will,” he whispered back, taking her hand and patting the top of it. Her incredibly soft skin warmed his much larger, calloused hands. “Thanks again, Tengku.”

“You, son, can call me Nana,” she replied, bidding the two men farewell.


	4. Chapter 4

The minute he brought Link back home, he sat him down on the living room couch. Link seemed a bit off since the meeting with his mother, and Rhett took notice of his odd behavior.

“Hey, you okay? You barely spoke a word over there. Your mother seemed really happy to see you. Is there something wrong?” Rhett asked. Link seemed to be attempting to distract himself with his own grooming. He refrained from making eye contact with the taller man as he continued licking his shoulder, suddenly growing very disappointed that it wasn’t working the in way he had grown used to for so many years. Growing impatient, Rhett wiped the saliva off the brunet’s shoulder. He then grabbed his face to turn his attention on him. Link’s bright blue eyes widened at the sudden force. “Look, Link. I know you can hear me and understand what I’m saying. I really need you to work with me here.” He sighed deeply as he softened his grip on the brunet’s fleshy, stubbly face. “I don’t know who – or what – you wanna be… and if we’re gonna work this out, we need to cooperate. I need you to answer my questions and pay close attention to what I say. Is that clear?”

Link’s eyes dropped slightly in thought before he answered in a low, mumbled voice, “Yes…” Rhett released him completely at this point, and the brunet continued looking towards the ground as he spoke. “I just… I dunno…”

The concerned expression on the blonde’s face took on a more empathetic one. He scooted across the cushions to rest his hands on Link’s broad, bony shoulders. The tender heat radiating off his large, soft hands spread like wildfire through Link’s body. “I saw the way you looked at us… when I gave Nana a hug. Did… that upset you? Did she not… oh, wait…” Link looked back up to meet Rhett’s gaze as the blonde made his realization. “You were… jealous… weren’t you?”

“I don’t know what that means,” muttered Link with a sniffle as he flipped over, turning his back towards Rhett. The bigger man moved a hand to Link’s back. His fingers gently brushed the fabric, tickling the skin underneath. Regardless of how Link was actually feeling, Rhett could still feel the man’s body vibrating subtly at his touch.

“You didn’t like me showing affection to her,” Rhett practically whispered. He brought his other hand into the mix, and began meticulously pressing and rubbing the tensed muscles on the brunet’s firm back. “Would you prefer if I gave my affection towards someone else?” Link curled and rolled over onto his back, making Rhett begin to massage the front of the smaller man’s torso. A little squeak escaped his lips as his head lolled back against the armrest. “You, perhaps?” Rhett finished, cocking one of his eyebrows at the man who was clearly enjoying the attention he was getting, as much as he was trying to suppress his emotions.

“Okay, yes! I want you for myself! Happy?! Now stop! You’re tickling me!” Link let out with an uncontrollable giggle.

Rhett’s smirk only grew at that comment as his hands began moving more fervently. “What’re you gonna do about it, pretty kitty? You gonna bite me?”

“I just might!” Link snarled playfully. He caught Rhett off-guard as he sprang up without hesitation, pinning the bigger man down against the other side of the couch. Now chest-to-chest, the guys’ laughter mixed together and transitioned into heavy, amused pants. Link let his head fall against Rhett’s chest. One of the blonde’s hands found its way to the other’s soft, ebony locks.

“Link?” Rhett asked. A light smile formed on his face as his eyes were fixed on just how adorable the other seemed from that angle, with that pudgy, stubbly face pressed against his chest. His eyes seemed to glow from all the excitement.

“Hm?”

“Do you… really like me? I mean, in the way Nana said you do?”

Link didn’t answer for a while, and instead rubbed his soft nose against Rhett’s chest. The bigger man felt him purring again. After a little while, Link finally spoke up. “I do.” The smaller man scooted up on Rhett’s body, inching towards his bearded face. “I don’t know what it is about you… but… at the shelter, when we met? I felt this… pull… like even though I couldn’t see you very well, I knew that I would find love and comfort with you.” Link brushed his stubbly cheek against Rhett’s soft beard, and blushed as he reveled in the ticklish sensation it gave him. “Growing up, I only felt like a… like a companion. With you… I dunno. It just feels like something else. Something better.” The blonde smiled at his words and hugged him gently in return, making the confused brunet freeze in his arms. “Wh-What are you doing? What is this?” Link asked, too frenzied to make sense out of anything.

“I’m hugging you. This is what people do to give physical affection,” Rhett answered softly, tenderly squeezing Link’s firm torso against his own. After a moment, he could feel the brunet’s tensed muscles loosen up as he melted into the hug. Link’s arms wormed their way up and around Rhett’s neck, and he laid his head comfortably against his shoulder.

“Does this mean you like me too?” Link asked with a purr. Rhett loosened his arms a bit, letting them slide partially off Link’s back. His momentary silence concerned the man on his chest.

“Well… I… I do care about you. A lot even…” Rhett started. “And I have to admit, you are… well, quite attractive as a human – not that I don’t find you adorable as a kitten – it’s just…” He took a heavy sigh as he moved his fingers through his hair, trying to find the right words. He saw the contentment fade away from the brunet’s face. “I mean, if you were fully human, it’d be different… but I don’t want to change who you are.”

Link let go of Rhett’s neck and shuffled off of him to sit at the other end of the couch. He pulled his legs up and rested his head against his knees. “I get it. You don’t want to be in a romantic relationship with a cat,” he mumbled with a pout. His head was turned away from the blonde, hiding any shame that may have been written on his face.

“Wait… Link…” Rhett shot himself up and placed a soft hand on the brunet’s shoulder. Link turned back to him almost hesitantly. His little cat ears twitched in Rhett’s direction. “I just want you to be happy, that’s all.“

"Being with you would make me happy,” Link said almost pleadingly.

“As a human or as a cat?”

“Human! Cat… I don’t know. I just want to be with you.” He fell against the taller man’s chest. Rhett’s arms wrapped all the way around his lithe form. The rhythmic jolts gave Rhett the realization that he was crying. “Just don’t send me back to that shelter… The cats there hate me! They swat me around like a crawly little bug. They hiss at me, and mess with me just because I can’t see well! Please don’t bring me back there…”

Rhett’s grip tightened as he hoisted Link up to meet his compassionate gaze. “Now why would I do that? This house was so lonely before you moved in. Who am I supposed to cuddle with at night? My pillows aren’t exactly the talkative type.” Link grinned brightly at the response and hugged the blonde back, enveloping his abdomen in a constricting squeeze.

“Thank you,” Link whispered with a sigh of relief. “I like the way you treat me… like I actually am a person.” He nuzzled further into their embrace.

Rhett chuckled a bit before pulling back slightly – just far enough to see Link’s serene face. “Well, you do have the choice. Do you want to be a person?” His eyes fixed to the brunet’s pensive expression. His bright blue eyes darted left and right as if he were weighing his options.

He finally looked back up to meet Rhett’s emerald irises, which gleamed blissfully as he awaited a response. “Will you help me, Rhett? To act and feel like a human?”

“Of course.” Link lifted his head to press the tip of his squishy little nose against the blonde’s soft, smiling lips. His purring tingled against Rhett’s bearded mouth, which alarmed him to the point of discomfort. Without wasting a moment, the smaller man was peeled off the other’s chest. His heart tore a bit at the disappointed face before him. “Sorry,” Rhett sighed. “It’s just… Purring coming from another person is really strange. Like, it’s fine when it’s coming from, you know, a smaller, fluffier source. I don’t even know how you’re able to still do that, to be completely honest.”

“Oh… Sorry,” Link giggled softly.

It took Rhett only a moment to come up with a suggestion. “How ‘bout… instead of purring, you could try making some other happy noise or something. Don’t really think about it though – just let whatever happens happen.” Rhett reached his long arms out to the other man, who gladly returned the embrace. Without even being prompted, Link begins rocking the two of them from side to side in a cradling motion. Quite pleased with this surprise, the blonde’s grip grew tighter, making his arms go even further around Link’s lithe frame. The brunet let out an involuntary squeak, which rapidly transitioned into a soothing hum that brought chills up Rhett’s spine and heat to his beaming face.

“I really like this hug thing,” Link commented through his humming. “It’s like being wrapped with warmth and love.” His eyes fluttered to a close as he continued rocking themselves. Little did he know that the other man’s eyes were blissfully closed as well.

“You know, it really is,” Rhett added before softly humming himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated M for "implied activity"

The body above him stirred in discomfort. Rhett opened his eyes to find the two of them still folded together on the couch. The high temperatures from the air and their bodies formed a film of sweat between them, sticking the two men together like a grilled cheese sandwich. Link was obviously finicky about the situation, and he extracted himself and examined the damp stains on his clothing with a dramatic grimace. He tried bending forward, sticking his tongue out to reach for his abdomen, which was to no avail. Rhett laughed at him, questioning what he was doing. Link slipped his tongue back into his mouth and furrowed his brows at the blonde.

“How people manage to clean themselves I’ll never know. Your spines are so stiff!” He pouted before trying again, but this time going for his shoulder. His disappointment was renewed at the uncomfortable feeling of his own saliva just accumulating on his skin. “Ugh, this is so nasty, man.”

“Eww… Eww, Link. Stop.” Rhett sat up and held the brunet’s arm away from the pursuing tongue. “Just jump in the shower. I have soaps and stuff. Don’t worry about it, okay? A little sweat never hurt anybody.” He used the collar of Link’s shirt to rub his shoulder dry before patting him on the back. Link slowly turned his head and shot an annoyed death glare at the blonde, whose eyes widened in surprise.

“Say that again when every inch of your body’s covered in thick, dark hair,” Link grumbled. “And I’m not taking a shower.”

“Oh come on. Don’t give me that. Some cats can tolerate water – some even enjoy it,” Rhett said, lightly punching the other’s arm.

“Yeah, well what if I’m not one of those cats?” Link challenged. His body was starting to tense up from the very thought of water touching him. His ears flattened against his skull.

“Well, for one thing, you’re pretty much mostly human right now. Most humans like water. The ones who don’t are either infants or allergic.”

“Well, I’m allergic!” Link crossed his arms in front of his chest and his head rose slightly. He was convinced Rhett would buy into his little fib.

“Pfft… No you’re not. You’re just stalling ‘cause Mr. Kittypants doesn’t wanna get his fur all wet,” Rhett teased, lifting the ornery brunet over his shoulder. Link squirmed in his grasp as he yelled at the taller man to release him. Rhett ignored his pleas and continued carrying the wiggly man to the restroom.

When they arrived to their destination, Rhett forced him down onto the closed lid of the toilet. His strong arms restrained the brunet by the shoulders. Link flailed his arms in attempt to push the other away, but Rhett was quick to grab a hold of both wrists in one large hand all the while still holding him down onto the toilet. Soon, fatigue overcame the brunet’s stubbornness. Rhett was able to hold him down until he felt Link’s muscles loosen and his hands go limp.

With a sigh of defeat, Link mumbled a little whine. “Wouldn’t just going into cat mode make my life easier?”

Rhett was hesitant to move for a while. He wanted to be sure that the other man wouldn’t flee now that he wasn’t being restrained. When he realized Link was done fighting with him, he moved to lock the restroom door before going over to the towel rack. “I thought you wanted to be human,” the tall blonde asked, taking out a fresh periwinkle towel and placing it on the edge of the sink.

“I do… but…”

“If you really want to turn fully human, you should learn to do human things like taking showers. People don’t typically turn into a cat just to bathe themselves. They don’t naturally smell like cat hair either. Oh, and I’d suggest using the toilet before you go in. I’ll get the water warmed up for you while you do whatever you need to do.” Rhett pushed aside the shower curtain and slid the glass door open.

Link looked around the room until he realized the object he was looking for was what he had been sitting on. “Use the…?”

“Mhm. Take your time. The water tends to start up cold.” The sound of rushing water filled the room and teased Link’s bladder. The brunet uncertainly stood from the toilet and lifted the lid. His eyes immediately focused on the water sitting at the bottom of the bowl and the mysterious hole lying underneath. He had seen a couple humans use the commode before, since he grew up with his litter box in his mother’s restroom, but his high anxiety conflicted with his utter curiosity.

“Do I… like, sit on it?” Link asked, not removing his focus from the open toilet for even a fraction of a second.

“If you want to. Actually, since you’ve probably never had experience aiming, I think I’d prefer if you sat, yes,” Rhett replied with his attention still on the warming water.

The sound of the running water was rapidly tantalizing the brunet’s bladder, so at this point using the toilet was his only choice in the matter. He did say he wanted to be more human, after all… With a fumbling hand, Link undid his jeans and slid them down far enough to place his bare bottom on the seat. He tried to use his past for reference to make sure he was doing it right.

When Rhett heard more trickling behind him, a proud grin grew on his face. “Oh, hey! There you go! That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” he asked, switching the nozzle from bath to shower mode.

“It’s weird… Okay, now what? Am I supposed to bury it? What’s with this rolly thing? Is it mine? Do I play with it?” Rhett tried to stifle his laughter as the brunet continued his conniption of seemingly ridiculous, yet adorable questions. He turned around to see Link slumped on the toilet, pants pooled around his ankles. The man was obviously overwhelmed with the amount of human things he’d have to get used to that were just in that tiny room alone. Rhett knew then just how difficult this process would be. He took a deep breath before moving over to the toilet paper dispenser. He unrolled a few squares, tore them off, and rolled them around his hand before giving the now folded papers to Link.

“Clean yourself up. Your shower’s warmed up,” he said calmly, patting Link’s head before turning away on the other side of the bathroom to give him some privacy. After a couple more minutes, Link spoke up claiming he was ready. Rhett turned around to see him standing up again, but with his pants pulled back up. His dark, fluffy tail, however was sticking out from above his jeans. The brunet moved tentatively towards the shower and brushed the curtain aside just enough to poke his head through.

“I… I don’t know about this…” he muttered, mostly to himself as he watched the stream of water falling from the showerhead and down into the drain at the end.

Rhett moseyed over to the anxious man and rested an arm over his shoulders. “It’s not as hard as you probably think. You go in, wash your hair, scrub your body, rinse, and get out to dry off. You’ll be clean as a whistle in a matter of minutes.”

“Well…” Link started, scratching the back of his neck, “I guess that doesn’t sound too bad… If it only takes a couple minutes, then I should be fine, right? And I’ll get dry shortly after, so the wetness won’t be lingering around too long to make me uncomfortable.” He pondered for a little while longer before finally deciding. “I’ll do it,” he finally spoke, nodding his head slightly, still uncertain about the whole ordeal.

“Sounds good,” Rhett responded. “I’ll be just outside if you need me.”

Link’s ears perked up in alarm, and his attention snapped to the taller man heading for the door. “WHAT?!?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA HELP ME!!” The blonde stopped and turned back around to the panicked brunet. His head lazily tilted to the side as he raised a quizzical eyebrow. “I can’t do this on my own! I don’t know what anything is, or how much to use! In case you’ve forgotten, I’m kinda blind!”

Rhett sighed impatiently before crossing his arms. “Then how ‘bout I stand outside the shower and give you step-by-step instructions? Will that make you feel better?”

“Yes. Yes it would,” Link answered, mimicking Rhett’s tone and body language.

“Then I’ll be right here. Let me know when you’re in the shower, okay?” In a matter of seconds, Rhett heard the shower curtains clang together and the glass door slide open. Impressed at how quickly Link was able to get in the shower, Rhett turned back around with a smile of pride…

until Link jumped back out…

and still completely clothed.

Rhett snorted into a stifled chuckle at the uncomfortably wet man, whose arms were spread away from his sides, and his legs were apart and slightly bent like a cowboy at a high noon duel. His head hung low, draping his dripping dark hair in front of his perturbed expression.

Through tightly clenched teeth, Link expressed, “I hate. Water. It is evil. I feel like I just gained another twenty pounds.”

“Dude, you’re supposed to take off your clothes when you shower,” Rhett commented, letting a few giggles out in the process. With that, Link wasted no time removing the dampened apparel from his shivering body – all without giving the taller man any warning whatsoever. Taken by complete surprise, Rhett slammed his palms against his widened eyes as an overwhelming blush crept upon his face. “My god, man. You gotta give a guy a warning before you strip!” With his bashful head turned away, he slowly guided himself back towards the door.

“What? Where’re you going? I thought you were gonna help me! Some friend you’re proving to be!”

Rhett stopped again and let out a heavy sigh. “Then could you at least cover yourself?”

“Why?”

“Just… Just do it, ya loon!” Rhett chuckled. When he opened his eyes, Link was covering his chest with both of his arms. Rhett shook his head and giggled to himself at the miscommunication. He moved closer, all the while trying his hardest to keep his focus away from Link’s crotch. “Close enough. Let’s get you back under the water.” He took the brunet by the shoulder and walked with him to the tub. Once Link stepped inside, Rhett slid the glass door and curtain to a close. He waited a few seconds before checking on Link. “How’s the water now?”

“Well… it’s actually not that bad. Can I make it warmer?”

“Go right ahead. Just tap the left knob a bit, otherwise it’ll get too hot too fast,” Rhett answered. His back was pressed against the shower door as he tried with all his power to not think about what the other man looked like underneath the hot running water, reveling in the moist warmth of the steam. Suddenly, a chill-inducing moan emanated from the shower behind him.

“Ohh, gosh… It’s soooo nice…” Link hummed. His voice echoed through the misty room, and its reverberation rattled Rhett’s insides in an incredibly pleasant way. “When are you coming in?” The blonde froze in place, wondering if he just asked what he thought he asked. His mind raced from one conclusion to another as his mouth dried and his muscles tensed up even more. “Rhett? You still out there?”

It took all of Rhett’s might to force any sound to come out of his mouth. “Mhm…” was all that squeaked from his dried throat.

“Well, I can’t read minds, man. Could you stop being a weirdo and just come in and help me? Even if I did know what to do, I wouldn’t be able to read anything in here to tell what’s what.”

Rhett screamed internally as his emotions battled one another. His legs quivered from all the stress he was going under. He mostly feared what was to come if he were to enter that shower with such an enchanting figure as Link. He swallowed forcefully before disrobing with timid hands. He didn’t want to make more of a fuss than what they already had, so he figured just going with what the other man wanted should be in his best interest.

When he was ready, he slowly crossed the threshold into the glass case of running hot water and steam. The soaked brunet was found standing nearly motionless under the water as he intently studied a bottle of conditioner.

“You’re not ready for that yet,” Rhett warned, taking the bottle from the brunet and putting it back on the rack. His eyes began to wander the trim form before him, taking in every inch of the man’s body as the steaming droplets caressed and massaged his golden skin. He could feel Link’s eyes on him. When he looked back up to meet his gaze, he felt heat rise to his cheeks - and not because of the hot water.

“What?” the brunet asked. His bright blue eyes seemed to shine through the steam. Rhett dropped his gaze again, but when he caught himself suddenly looking at Link’s pelvis, he scrambled to turn the brunet away from him. “Whoa! What the –”

“Gotta make sure your hair’s all wet and ready, uh, for the shampoo,” Rhett practically yelled, trying to keep the other man’s attention away from the obviousness of his burgeoning situation. At that moment, he wished the water was cold to help rid him of his libido. He kept telling himself to just focus on the task at hand.

Once he was done getting the shorter man’s hair wet, Rhett picked up his shampoo bottle and showed it to Link so he knew what it was and so he could try to remember what it looked like for future reference. With a gentle hand, Rhett guided Link to move backwards until his head was out of the showerhead’s range. He popped the top open and poured a coin’s amount in his own palm before lathering the substance to suds.

“Okay, now lean your head back a little so no soap gets in your eyes,” the blonde forced out. He had been holding his breath, but he barely cared. He was trying his hardest to not be distracted by the smaller man’s bare body that was barely six inches away. Link’s tail didn’t help either. It heavily swayed, soaked to the bone and dripping with water. Rhett could only imagine how much hair would clog the drain trap.

His hands shook slightly as Rhett brought his soapy hands to Link’s dark, wet locks. His long, nimble fingers scrunch, scratch and massage his scalp, making Link’s ears fan out towards the sides. He remembered what Rhett had said about the purring, and instead tried humming again. The sweet, tenor voice gave Rhett chills as his hands continued working their way all over Link’s head. When he started scratching behind those big, pointy ears, they cupped forward, and goose bumps rippled down Link’s body from head to toe as his muscles twitched and flexed. His humming rapidly turned into loud moaning, which made Rhett retract his hands in surprise.

“Oh, gosh, why’d you stop?” Link asked breathily. Rhett continued backing away a couple steps as he tried to control himself, closing his eyes and breathing deeply through his nose. When he opened his eyes, Link was looking right at him with a befuddled expression. Trails of soap slid down his exposed temples. “You okay?” The brunet asked. His gaze slowly moved down Rhett’s body, but the taller of the two turned around in a flash to hide his predicament. “You’re acting really weird. What’s wrong?”

“Turn back around!” Rhett ordered, still facing the wall. “Quick, before the soap gets in your eyes!” Link did as he was told, but looked back at the other man with great concern. “You can take down the showerhead and turn the knob some. Use the harder pressure to get the soap out,” Rhett continued. His voice was a lot more timid than it just was, and Link was curious as to why he was having such a hard time. He tried to ignore it, and took the showerhead down as Rhett suggested. He turned the little knob on the side and jumped at the sudden change of the jet stream pressure. He played with it a bit, aiming the water at his palms. The darts of water tickled his nerves, and he let out a tiny chuckle. He was very careful to get the water pointing at his head, making sure the water would fall back and away from his face. His ears also flattened to keep water from getting inside. The jets darted and massaged his scalp, flushing the soap out and trickled down his back. As he changed the angles on it to ensure he hit every side, he reveled in the slight numbing and tickling sensation, subconsciously emitting another, much louder moan.

Rhett’s entire face was red at this point. His self control was running feeble. Everything seemed to be spinning around him. Before he knew it, his whole body jolted, making him yelp a sharp whine that echoed through the restroom and probably even the entire house. Link snapped his attention around to the blonde with great concern and worry.

“What?! What is it?!” Link asked, timidly moving closer to the man in distress. Rhett was quick to block the slight mess he left on the wall, and turned back around to face the brunet.

“Nothing… I just… thought I saw a spider.” The blushing blonde didn’t hesitate to turn the other man back around. He fumbled as he opened the conditioner and rapidly applied it to Link’s hair. He hoped his lathering would distract Link enough for him to forget about his little situation. When he felt the brunet ease into his handiwork, Rhett shot a disgusted glance at his mark still dripping from the plastic wall. He was lucky his shower walls weren’t tiled or the cleaning process would’ve had to be more work than was needed, and he knew he didn’t want Link to catch him taking care of his embarrassing mess.

“So now I rinse again?” Link asked, snapping Rhett back to the task at hand. The shorter man reached up to grab the showerhead again.

“I’ll do it this time,” Rhett said, a little too suddenly and loudly. His outburst made the catlike man flinch, and his pointed ears flattened for a brief moment. Confused, Link complied and handed the showerhead to the anxious blonde. Rhett snatched the object from his gentle hands and was quick to aim the jets at the cooling splatter of white on his wall. He was able to contain himself after watching the streams of it flow into the drain. He was in the clear.

“What’s going on back there?” Link asked, curious as to why the water wasn’t massaging his soapy scalp yet.

“Oh, sorry. The uh, knob got stuck… I fixed it though! Don’t worry about it…” Rhett responded, aiming the jets at the back of Link’s head.

‘What the hell was that??’ he thought. ‘Like, sure, I care for the guy… just… I didn’t think…’

Rhett quickly shook those thoughts away and realized he had been rinsing the same spot for the past minute or so. He was adamant about finishing this shower lesson so they could just get out and get dressed. The quicker he progressed, the sooner the tantalizing images would disappear from his mind.

Thankfully, they were finished in no time, and Rhett was quick to turn the water off and get them both toweled up and dry. When Link thanked Rhett for the help, the blonde just grunted with a nod and made off with his clothes. He soon returned to toss some spare pajamas to the brunet before leaving again without a word.

Link continued staring at the door with deep concern and utter confusion written all over his face. He knew something was up with Rhett, but he didn’t know what.

And frankly, Rhett didn’t know what it was either.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated M

Link was able to brush off the strange moment in the shower earlier, but Rhett, on the other hand, appeared to be a lot quieter and acted more distant towards Link. He’d stare off in the distance, occasionally mumble something to himself, and even bounce back whenever the brunet would snuggle up against him.

Link didn’t like this new development, and hoped he didn’t say or do anything to cause this distance between them. He especially hoped whatever this was would clear up soon.

Noticing Rhett wasn’t reacting very enthusiastically to cuddles made Link realize that probably wasn’t the best way to fix this predicament. Leaving the man alone wouldn’t move things along either. Link eventually grew quite frustrated with the lack of attention Rhett was giving him, and he wanted to do something about it. Doing something to cheer him up was his best option, but he wasn’t used to doing human stuff just yet. What could he do?

It wasn’t until the next day that Link was able to think of something that might work. He spent nearly all night tracking this strange scratching noise that seemed to get Rhett agitated – even during his space out moments. When he finally captured the source, he approached Rhett with caution, keeping him a bit distanced in case his plan didn’t work as he had hoped.

He shuffled closer to the motionless man on the couch and tapped his shoulder. His other hand was clutched behind his back. “Rhett?” he asked softly. The blonde’s eyes flickered between the nothing he was staring at and the timid brunet. “Rhett, I… You haven’t spoken a word to me in a long time. You haven’t even moved from that spot, come to think of it.” Rhett stayed silent with his jade eyes glued to the other’s pleading blue ones. “I’m worried about you, Rhett…” Link spotted a little quirk in the corner of Rhett’s mouth. He took a big breath and continued. “So I got you this present!” Link blurted out with a hint of hopeful cheer in his voice. He whipped his hands out from behind his back to reveal his gift.

Rhett immediately jumped up higher onto the couch, wide eyes, pursed lips, hair and goosebumps raised to their peaks. “WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!” the blonde shrieked. Link’s eyes widened at the sudden change of behavior.

“It’s a mouse!” Link answered with a smile. His pudgy face was glowing in pride, in both his efforts at catching the rodent, as well as being able to get more than two mumbled words from the guy. “It’s for you.”

“Where – was there a freaking mouse in here?!?!”

“I found him in the sunroom nibbling at some boxes,” Link answered, brushing back the little hairs on the mouse’s head. He moved it closer to Rhett, who shifted onto the back of the couch. “He’s a cute one, huh?”

“Is it… Is it dead??”

Link breathed out a giggle. “No. He’s just unconscious, in case you wanted to play with him a bit before eating him.”

Rhett’s face grew paler by the second, and the worry flashed in his widened stare. “Oh gosh… EUGHH!! No… No no no. I… I accept your… whatever this is, but… I think it’s best if the little guy’s… you know, free? Like out in the wilderness? Not tortured into meeting a gruesome death?”

Link morphed his mouth into a lopsided frown as he contemplated the mouse in his hands. “Mm… If you say so…”

“Good. Good. Now take it outside – somewhere faaaaar from the house. Just… don’t go too far. I don’t want anything to happen to you, okay?” Rhett tentatively rested his palm against Link’s soft hair, cautious about the chance of that mouse coming to out of the blue.

“Okay, Rhett. If it’ll make you feel better…” Link answered with a hint of annoyance. He moped on to the front door with the unconscious mouse in hand.

“Oh, and wash your hands when you get back!” Rhett called, just as the brunet passed through the doorway, swinging the door shut behind him.

Rhett sighed and slumped back down onto the seat of the couch. “This is ridiculous…” he muttered to himself. “If I keep sitting here and brooding I’ll never be able to feel comfortable about this.” He glanced at the door for a moment. “Well, at least I got him out of the house for a while. Hopefully now I can actually come to terms with myself.” With that, he stood up and moved into the restroom.

He stopped in front of the mirror above the sink and just stared at his pale expression. He looked terrible, like he hadn’t eaten or slept in days. ‘Link had the right to be worried for me…’ he thought. ‘I practically look dead.’

He took a moment to wash his face with cold water, focusing on the grime around and under his eyes. With a bit more energy, he straightened his posture and stared down his own reflection. “Okay…” he repeatedly whispered to himself. “The thing in the shower. It never happened.” He stopped and stared at his reflection, as if waiting for it to answer. “There’s no way I’m consciously thinking about making… this… whatever we have… any more than what it is.” These words, although as true as he wanted them to feel, felt contrived and forced. His gaze dropped from his reflection’s and rampantly flicked around the sink. He felt a sudden asphyxiation and a crippling weight drop onto his chest. He had more words he wanted to add to his pep talk, but it felt impossible for him to let them out. Instead, he sighed, freeing himself of his anxiety.

“I can’t…” he whispered, letting his brick wall he’d been trying to build crumble to the ground.

He found his way back to the living room couch. It seemed Link hadn’t returned yet. Rhett bit his lip anxiously. His eyes locked onto that couch.

As if his body was on auto-pilot, he marched to the couch, jumped down on it. He adjusted himself so he was lying on his back and his legs were propped up on the cushions.

‘Let’s see just how I see him then…’

He continued running on auto-pilot as his hand eagerly reached for the waistband of his sweatpants. He wasted no time in just going for it, picturing his housemate behind closed eyelids as he pleasured himself. It didn’t take long for him to feel his peak coming nearer, and his gasps and whines rapidly grew to groaning and chanting Link’s name. His voice became louder and louder until he reached his peak, whining softly on the come-down.

He opened his eyes to find Link at the front door. He had been watching him with wide, terrified eyes. He stood there shaking vigorously, his eyes locked onto the vulnerable man on the couch. When the tension proved to be too much, Link booked it for the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

“Wait! Link!” Rhett called as he fumbled off the couch and ran after the traumatized brunet. He whipped the bedroom door opened to find Link nowhere in sight. The closet was open, proving he wasn’t in there. Rhett dropped down to the floor and peeked under the bed to see two glowing eyes widening in his direction.

“Link…”

“Leave me alone,” the smaller man whimpered.

“Come on, Link… Let’s talk about this!” Rhett reached towards the glowing eyes with utmost care.

With a whip-like swipe, Link hissed aggressively and clawed at the approaching hand. Rhett pulled back and shot large doe eyes at the man under the bed.

“I…”

Through the darkness he could see dark fur growing on Link’s skin, and the sight terrified him. Rhett bit his quivering bottom lip and scurried back to the living room. He launched himself at the couch again, pressing his strained, teary-eyed face against the side pillow. His mind was overflowed with agonizing feelings of embarrassment, rejection, and heartbreak.

‘So much for my damn curiosity… it only cost me the trust of the one I love.’


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's enough of the M-rated stuff, so we're back to the fluffles! However, there is some "birds & bees" talk here.

Rhett woke up in the middle of the night to a vicious pain in his back from sleeping on the couch. He opened his eyes to the startling sight of Link leaning over him and staring at him with those glowing, blue eyes.

“GAHH! Geez, Link! You scared me to death!!” Taking a better look, he noticed Link seemed a bit shorter and hairier than usual.

“I…” Link whimpered. “I had a bad dream…”

Rhett’s eyes softened at the poor brunet.

“I was hoping… you’d give me comfort cuddles,” Link added, rocking on his heels like a child, head drooping and all.

Rhett sat up and stretched a bit. “Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?”

Link immediately shook his head, wiggling it vigorously before wrapping his arms around Rhett’s torso in mid-stretch. “I was never mad at you,” he mumbled into Rhett’s shirt.

Rhett’s spine clicked before he dropped his arms down, draping them on the smaller man’s body. “Well, if you want cuddles, can I go back to sleeping in my own bed? As in, not the couch?” Link didn’t hesitate to yank the sleepy man off the couch, and he led them into the bedroom. Link immediately jumped into bed and curled up underneath the covers. Rhett took his time and sat down on the edge of his bed first. “So if you weren’t angry with me, why did you swipe at me and tell me to leave?”

Link turned away from him and recollected those scarring memories from earlier that evening. “I… I was scared.” He didn’t even notice that Rhett had lied down beside him. He was startled at Rhett’s gentle touch trailing down the side of his torso.

“Scared?” Rhett asked in a half-whisper. He nuzzled Link’s back, tickling the skin with his nose. “My gosh, Link. I’m so sorry.”

“I… I don’t know what was happening, but… whatever you were doing… it… it made me… I dunno. Uncomfortable? Anxious? I just…” Link trailed off and sighed. He wormed out of Rhett’s grasp and turned over to face him.

The blonde’s face read nothing but embarrassment and regret. He sighed and flopped over onto his back, staring at the ceiling. “I don’t even know what it was, myself,” he admitted. “I guess… it just sort of happened.”

A spell of silence fell between the two. Not even crickets filled in the ominous stillness.

After a while, Link stuttered out, breaking the tension only by a little bit.

“Wh… What… was it that you were doing?” the timid brunet asked.

Rhett’s face turned beet red on the spot, and his brow had already begun working up a sweat. He really didn’t want to keep bringing that awkward situation up if it was going to put distance between them, which Rhett figured would happen. However, it wouldn’t be fair to Link if he was denied a well-deserved explanation. He carefully swallowed the lump in his throat and attempted to reply.

“I, uh… Well… when someone… feels a certain way about, well, another person… sometimes they… well…”

“You make it sound like you’re talking about mating or something,” Link chimed in with a raised brow.

“Well, essentially, it is. Just… you know, without the partner,” Rhett responded.

“Oh, okay…” Link mumbled softly. “I guess that makes sense.”

Rhett looked back at the quiet man beside him. He seemed to be slowly transitioning back to his usual half-feline, half-human self. He wasn’t as hairy as he was when he woke him up a few minutes ago, and his eyes were losing a bit of their spooky nighttime glow. He felt so bad for what he unintentionally put this poor guy through, and the vulnerability in his expression broke Rhett’s heart.

He slowly reached out for the curled up brunet, and massaged his scalp once he made contact. Link immediately gave in to the motion, and nuzzled into the touch of Rhett’s large hands.

“Come ‘ere,” Rhett whispered, scooting a bit toward his bedmate until their bodies were completely against one-another. Link wasted no time in curling up against the bigger man, resting his head against the crook of Rhett’s neck. He started purring, but Rhett didn’t mind at the time. Link was distraught and didn’t deserve to be corrected or yelled at for his instinctive behavior. Instead, Rhett wrapped his arms around him, kneading the warmth into Link’s lean body.

“Thank you, Rhett…” Link whispered. His hot breath grazed against Rhett’s collarbone.

“It’s okay…” Rhett nuzzled into Link’s soft, raven locks, and subconsciously left an undetected kiss upon his head. “Did you… wanna talk about your nightmare?”

Link nodded softly against Rhett’s shirt. “I woke up alone… in the streets,” he started. His voice had a slight tremble to it, making Rhett want to shower the poor man with snuggles and kisses. “I… I kept calling out to you, but… but I couldn’t find you.” Link sniffled a bit before nuzzling back into Rhett’s neck. “I kept running and running… and… and when I finally found you…” His sniffling became stronger as they began transitioning to full-out whimpers. “… you were dead.”

Rhett’s heart felt like it shattered at that moment. He could only imagine how Link must’ve felt to have such a subconscious vision. He pulled Link even closer to him and kissed the sobbing brunet on the forehead. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Link. I’m here… I’m here.”

“I know…” Link mumbled. Rhett continued planting little kisses on Link’s face until Link was calmed down. Once the crying subsided, Link could pay more attention to what was going on. “What… What are you doing?” he asked quietly. His tone sounded lighter and slightly playful. Rhett felt much better that Link was no longer crying, and seemed to enjoy what he was doing.

Rhett chuckled breathily, and heat rose to his giddy face. “I’m – I’m giving you kisses.”

Link smiled at the taller man. His eyes displayed a hint of sparkle. “Kisses…” he repeated, trying to memorize the word, no doubt. “You’ve… ‘kissed’ me before.”

Rhett backed his head in confusion. “I have?”

“The first night I spent here,” Link replied. His smooth voice glided over his words like slick honey. “You held me close… and… you gave me a kiss. Right here.” He tapped the very point of his squishy nose. Rhett giggled as he recalled the memory.

“You were just a cute little ball of fluff then,” Rhett added, tapping Link’s nose himself. Link giggled in return, and grasped Rhett’s index finger like a child.

The laughter subsided, and Rhett could hear his own heartbeat as he watched Link’s shimmering eyes flicker from one eye to the other. The silence between them now was comfortable, and even welcoming… like all that was important was sharing the other’s company. Those bright, blue eyes had a glimmer of longing that displayed quite clearly to Rhett, and his entire body burned with a pleasing warmth.

“Can I… Can I give you a kiss?” Link asked softly. All Rhett could do was smile, and that was enough for Link to get the picture. He carefully raised his face closer to Rhett’s. His hot breath left tingles on the blonde’s lightly shuddering skin. The feeling of Link’s soft, warm lips pressing against his cheek sent jitters through his system like electricity. He closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, nuzzling his face against the other’s with a dazed smile. He snuck a peck of his own as their faces leaned away. Link’s beaming face was like the touch of an angel, and Rhett felt blessed to have such a person with him.

It was then that he noticed some hair had disappeared, leaving whatever body hair that was left in places where an average man his age would have hair. His ears also were positioned a bit lower on Link’s head, about half the distance closer to where they would be as a human. Rhett giggled a little, thinking that this new ear position kind of made him look like a younger, taller version of Yoda from Star Wars. It was really cute.

“What?” Link asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

“Nothing,” Rhett answered with a happy sigh. “How ‘bout we get some shut-eye, huh?”

“Okay.” The two shifted slightly until they were in a more comfortable sleeping position. “Goodnight, Rhett.”

“’Night, Link.”

The two lied silently in the dark. Neither were asleep, but Rhett was the only one with his eyes closed. Regardless of what Rhett had said about what happened earlier today, there was something else he still needed to know. His mind kept racing, wondering if he should speak up about it or not. He took a quick glance over at the blonde, and noticed his breathing wasn’t steady enough for him to be asleep.

“R… Rhett?”

“Hm?”

“Earlier… when… you were, I guess mating by yourself?”

A sudden rush of goosebumps arose on Rhett’s body.

“Mhm?”

“You were… calling my name…”

Rhett subconsciously halted his breathing.

“Does… that mean you… want to mate with me?”

Rhett was already getting lightheaded from holding his breath, and was so flustered he didn’t know how to respond.

“I – I… Link, I… I don’t know… I don’t know.”

Link let out a small sigh, and rolled over, turning his back towards Rhett.

“Okay… Sorry for… bringing it up, I guess.”

“It’s fine,” Rhett replied. “Let’s just go to sleep. We gotta get up early for your appointment tomorrow anyway.”

…

…

“Okay…”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY FLUFFLES

The next morning, they went to Link’s surprise eye appointment. Poor Link didn’t know what was going on for the most part, and needed Rhett to hold his hand during most of the tests. After the tests were run, he was given his first pair of spectacles. Rhett smiled amorously at the smaller man glowing in astonishment as he set them on his face for the very first time.

“Why don’t they have stuff like this for cats?” Link questioned. He moved his head cautiously as he looked curiously around the room before looking upon Rhett’s face. His eyes seemed to sparkle as his gaze lingered, studying his friend’s features clearly for the first time. His hands immediately moved to Rhett’s face, touching everything he could. He found great joy in playing with the tip of Rhett’s nose, watching it bounce and squish as the taller man twitched his nostrils. Link let out a giddy giggle when Rhett grabbed his hand to make him stop.

“That tickles, man!” Rhett chuckled. “How do they feel?”

Link extracted his hand from Rhett’s grasp, and then pulled the larger man into a firm hug. “I love them!” he responded, squishing the side of his face against Rhett’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

~*~

Now that Link was able to see better, learning and attempting to do human tasks became quite easier. Rhett tried giving him some basic language knowledge – such as the alphabet and the number system so he could soon learn how to read. Halfway through the lesson, Link complained that he was hungry and wouldn’t stop pestering Rhett about food.

They abandoned their lesson for the moment, and Rhett started up a pot of water for some mac and cheese. He figured Link should try something more human than just canned meat, and cats do love cheese, so he figured this would do for the time being. Link hovered over Rhett’s shoulder in curiosity, peering into the pot of barely simmering water. He snuck a look at the box beside them on the counter, and attempted to read what was there. He quickly got a headache, and stopped trying.

“What are you making?” Link asked, resting his chin on Rhett’s shoulder.

“Macaroni and cheese,” Rhett answered, cranking some sea salt into the water.

Link stared intensely at the tiny salt crystals floating down to the bottom and sizzling until they completely dissolved. “What’s… macaroni?”

Rhett laughed, “You’ll see.”

Gradually, the bubbling of the water grew more vigorous, and Link’s pointed ears perked upwards. “You’re making a potion!!” Link exclaimed. “I saw my mom do this all the time!”

“No, Link, it’s not a potion,” he chuckled. “The water’s boiling. That’s all.” He looked over at the brunet with a slight smile. “Do you wanna pour the pasta in?”

“The what?”

“Here.” Rhett handed the box to Link after taking the cheese packet out. “Be gentle though. You don’t want anything to splatter.” The blond moved aside, allowing Link access to the stove. The brunet held the box over the pot with his shaky hands, and poured the little shells into the pot smoothly.

“Is that it?” Link asked, peeking into the cardboard box. He found a shell stuck underneath one of the flaps and picked it out. He held it in his hand curiously, poking at it with his index finger. He popped it into his mouth and crunched on the piece of pasta. “It’s hard as a rock!”

Rhett chuckled behind his hand. “Just wait ‘til it’s done cooking. It’ll be much better.” He picked up a long, white plastic spoon and handed it to Link. “Wanna try stirring it? Just put it in the pot and move it around until the pasta’s no longer stuck together.”

Link timidly took the spoon and stuck it into the boiling water, moving it very uncertainly. Rhett enjoyed watching the younger man try to cook something as basic as mac and cheese, but he could tell he was having a little difficulty with the stirring… like he was afraid to make contact with the pasta. He quietly shifted a bit behind Link, putting his hand on Link’s as he tried stirring. Link jerked his head back at the blond with a vibrant hint of red tinting his face.

Rhett returned his gaze with a sly smile. He pressed the spoon further into the pot until some pasta began to separate. “Don’t be afraid of it,” Rhett commented with a low voice. He could feel Link’s hand twitching nervously under his, and the contact felt absolutely electric.

Once he felt Link moving the spoon with more confidence, he let go, giving the brunet a small peck on the cheek. “You’re doing great,” he whispered before sauntering away. A bright red grin spread across Link’s face.

After a couple minutes, Rhett helped Link finish cooking. Link was quite proud of himself, despite how overcooked the pasta seemed to be. It seemed Link enjoyed it like that anyway. Rhett spent most of the time giggling at Link trying to figure out how to use a spoon properly, and internally cooing at how much Link seemed to enjoy the meal he made nearly all by himself. He was making great progress, and Link was more than excited to learn more ‘kitchen brewery magic’ in the future.

After cleaning up, Rhett went back to teaching Link the alphabet again – a process Link found heinous, but he eventually started getting the hang of it. By bedtime, he was able to spell and read three to four-letter words.

“I don’t wanna go to bed just yet,” Link said, pulling Rhett over to the fireplace. He had Rhett join him on the carpet, facing the bright, lively flames dancing behind the spark screen. Once Rhett sat down, Link scooted closer.

“It’s getting cold, huh?” Rhett asked, petting Link’s hair until the brunet laid his head against Rhett’s shoulder. “Not used to being… well… NOT covered in fur?” He felt Link’s head shake side to side. “I’ll try to keep the near-winter draft at a minimum.”

“Good,” Link replied. His voice was so soft it was barely audible. He sat silently after that, just playing with his new glasses.

After a while of the two of them just listening to the crackling of the burning wood, Link cleared his throat.

“I… keep thinking about… what happened last night…”

Rhett felt a heavy weight bearing down on him. After their talk last night, he figured there was nothing more to say on the topic.

Apparently not.

“Why were you… you know… in the first place?” Link asked, refraining from making any bit of eye contact.

Rhett’s voice locked up in his throat. He really didn’t know what to say. He forced a deep breath as quietly as he could.

“I… you could say I was, um… frustrated… I guess,” Rhett answered. He stared into the dancing flames, as if the answers to all this were coming from the ashes and the snaps of the burning wood.

“Because of the mouse I caught for you?” Link asked with a slight whine in his tone.

“No – No! I’m actually quite happy you got that mouse out of here. It’s getting colder outside, so there might be more soon. I don’t want them ruining anything.”

“Oh, okay. Then I did good?” Link asked, finally looking up to meet Rhett’s eyes. Rhett’s jade eyes tore away from the fire to gaze back, and a calm grin appeared on his face.

He tilted his head down and planted a firm kiss on Link’s forehead. “Yes. You did good.”

“Then why were you frustrated?”

Rhett sighed to himself and tried to keep calm. He wanted to be as nonchalant as possible so Link wouldn’t think much of it, but he knew that if he kept being vague and dishonest with him, the questions would keep coming. “I was just… confused. With myself. I don’t know if that even makes sense or if you can understand it. To be honest, even I don’t understand.”

“You don’t?” Rhett shook his head in response. Link could see the emotional exhaustion in his eyes, and he felt very strong instincts to nurse him with affection until he was happy again. “Did it… solve anything?”

“I… I think so. Maybe.”

Link shot Rhett a slow, reassuring smile before kissing Rhett on the cheek. “Glad to hear it.” Rhett smiled back at the brunet and lightly held his defined jaw. His thumb rubbed Link’s soft, yet stubbly cheek as his eyes lingered on his azure gaze.

“Thank you… Rhett… I’ve had a wonderful day today, and… well, I’m glad you made it happen.”

Rhett chuckled breathily. “Well… Anything to make you happy.”

With that, Rhett helped Link up. They walked into the bedroom hand-in-hand and with bright blushes on their faces. They cuddled up and fell asleep rather quickly…

…until a disturbance woke him up.

The smaller man behind him was shaking and sobbing violently, and Rhett was incredibly concerned. He turned over and tapped Link’s shoulder, but there was no response whatsoever. He was about to do it again when-

“No… No, Rhett…” There was a pause for more sniffles. “I can’t – I… I love you… I can’t lose you, Rhett… I need you…”

Rhett watched him continue to cry in his sleep, and the words started to grow incoherent. He snaked an arm underneath the lithe figure and wrapped the other one over Link’s torso. He squeezed Link’s body against him until his face was pressed against his back, nuzzling aggressively against his skin.

“It’s okay, Link. It’s me. Wake up,” Rhett said softly. He kept Link in his hold until the squirming slowed to a stop.

“Rhett…?” Link asked, his tone more alert. He was awake.

“It was just a nightmare. I’m okay. I’m right here.”

“You’re squishing me…”

Rhett loosened his grip, allowing Link to turn around and face him. His eyes were red and swollen from irritation, and his entire face was glistening in a combination of his sweat and tears. The heartbreaking sight was too much for Rhett to bear.

Before he knew it, Rhett’s face launched for Link’s until their lips met. Both of their faces turned beet red. In attempt to regain oxygen, they separated with a loud smack of their lips. Rhett started to giggle at his actions, and the giggles escalated into a hearty laugh quickly. Link’s mouth stretched into a gleaming smile.

“What was THAT?!?!” he asked with a chuckle.

Rhett’s laughter calmed down some so he could speak. “I love you.”


	9. Chapter 9

Link woke up to a familiar, yet unfriendly sound. He turned over to find his partner not in bed with him. He immediately grew terrified, all hairs standing up on end. With his curiosity holding the best of him, Link nervously shuffled out the bedroom door in just a tank top and boxers that Rhett gave him a week or so ago.

“Rhett?!” the terrified brunet called as he continued tiptoeing into the living room. He leaped onto the couch with a shriek at the sight of a mechanical humming monstrosity at the end of Rhett’s arm. The taller man was moving it back and forth frantically until he startled Link.

“Come on, Link, it’s just the vacuum! How many times must we go through this?” he asked, turning off the contraption and picking up a spray bottle and the roll of paper towels. He rushed toward the coffee table and sprayed the glass top before wiping it clean with a sheet.

“What’s going on? Why are you acting all jumpy and… finicky?” the brunet asked, climbing down from the chair and wiping off any marks he might have left.

“My parents called. They’re coming over soon to celebrate my birthday. The house needs to be spick and span for them or I’ll never hear the end of it,” Rhett answered, finishing off the table with a final wipe.

“Your parents? Wow, I’d love to meet your parents!” Link expressed with a delighted grin.

Rhett however, whipped his head in Link’s direction with wide eyes and furrowed brows. He dropped the spray and paper towels onto the carpet and rushed over to Link, gripping his forearms as if he aimed for his hands but missed. “No,” he stressed. “You can’t meet them, not like this!!”

“What do you mean?”

“If you’re gonna be here as a human, we can’t be all over each other… and you sure as hell can’t stay the night! Not to mention your tail, your ears, and your… occasional feline tendencies.” Rhett shook his head. “I don’t think we’ll be able to handle all that… Dang it. And I don’t wanna send you to a motel or something. Who knows what’ll happen to you?!?! I don’t want you getting lost… or hurt…” The blond encased the smaller man in a tight, protective hug as he kissed the top of Link’s head. Link struggled and pushed himself out of Rhett’s grasp in a frenzy.

“Wait, so you got to meet my mom, but you won’t let me meet your parents?!” Link whined.

Rhett sighed, “It’s ‘cause my parents don’t know I’m in a romantic relationship with another guy!!! Who just also happens to be a cat!!! If they saw us cuddling and kissing like we normally do, they’d be disgusted! Am I too old to be disowned?! ‘Cause I’m sure they would disown me… And only God knows what they’d think about you…” Link’s brows furrowed with a hint of confusion mixed into his utter displeasure of what Rhett was saying. “Link, I… Where I was raised, it wasn’t right for two guys like us to be in this kind of relationship – even if we don’t, uh, ‘mate’. Humans are complicated and opinionated like that. I don’t really expect you to understand… I just want you to trust me.”

“Would they be mad if we cuddled while I am in cat form?” Link asked. His face slowly calmed into something a bit more neutral. “Like, is it just a human thing?”

“What are you saying? You want to go back into full cat mode? Can you do that??” Rhett asked. His voice was kept low and uncertain. He gripped Link’s wide shoulders, alarming Link slightly. With a smidge of panic, Link responded, “I don’t know! It’s like… moving backwards!! What if I break it and start going human while your parents are here?! What if I can’t become human again?!?!”

His lithe body started to shudder, and Rhett loosened his grip on Link’s shoulders, instead wrapping his arms lightly around his upper back. He leaned closer to the now whimpering brunet and kissed his soft, quivering lips. “We’ll figure something out, okay? Leave that for me to worry about. We’ll get through this.” Link hums in satisfaction and snuggles into his partner’s neck. “You wanna make breakfast while I finish cleaning?”

“I’ll make some cereal,” Link said softly before planting a little kiss on the tip of Rhett’s nose.

~*~

It was only a couple hours later when a cab dropped Rhett’s parents off in front of his house. Both men were panicked, still not knowing what to do about Link being here. Just as Rhett’s parents started walking up the driveway, Rhett grabbed Link and shoved him into their bedroom.

“Hey!!” Link yelped, trying to force himself through the slight opening of the door. Rhett was on the other side ensuring Link wouldn’t push through.

“Link! Link! Stop!” the shorter of the two calmed down a bit with pleading eyes. “I don’t know what else to do, okay!”

The doorbell’s chime echoed through the house.

Rhett sighed before continuing, “I’m sorry, but don’t… don’t come out unless you’ve figured something out.”

“But, Rhett…”

“I love you, buddy,” were the last words he said until he shut the door and locked it from the outside, putting the small, silver key on top of the door frame.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: homophobia

“Oh, Rhett, it’s so nice to see you again!” exclaimed Rhett’s mother as she threw her arms around his shoulders. She kicked off her boots and moved aside for her husband to greet their son.

“Nice place, Rhett. I’m surprised you’ve kept it clean!” his father commented, bringing the tall man down for a tight hug and some pats on the back. “Even if it is because you have company,” he laughed.

Rhett chuckled along. “You know me too well,” he responded, leading his parents into the living room.

The three of them took their seats, spread apart so that they could see each other. Diane, Rhett’s mother, placed a large container on the coffee table in the middle of their arrangement.

“We brought you some cookies. Happy birthday, baby,” she said, popping the top off the container to reveal delicious, homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies.

“I’m surprised you didn’t have any plans,” Rhett’s father mentioned. “You used to always have plans on your birthday. Usually with a little lady friend.”

Rhett shuffled in his seat, rubbing his sweaty palms on his thighs. “Well, not this year…” he answered. “Tammy and I broke up a long while back.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Diane pouted. “You two were together for a long time, I was sure –”

CRASH!!!

All three heads turned toward the bedroom door down the hall. Rhett immediately grew pale. “Uh, don’t worry about it. It must’ve been –”

“Is that the cat?” Rhett’s father asked. Rhett whipped his head in his direction with bated breath. His father pointed over to the bag of dry cat food beside two empty bowls. Rhett mentally kicked himself for never cleaning those up. He started getting more anxious now that they knew about the… ‘cat’.

“Rhett, you got a cat?!” Rhett’s mother enthused. “I thought you were more of a dog person.”

“Well, I uh –”

He was interrupted by a couple knocks on his door. The three of them turned toward the door, and Rhett glared in confusion. He wasn’t expecting anyone else… unless his brother stopped by, but his parents would’ve said something about it.

Rhett hesitated to get up and go towards the door. He looked through the peep hole and only saw a beanie or something. He opened the door to find who but Link standing in the cold with a large sweater, sweatpants, and a beanie pulled down over his pointed ears.

“What are you doing?!?!” Rhett whispered through grated teeth.

“I wanna meet your parents!!” Link whispered with a shudder. Rhett facepalmed in response, tapping his foot tensely. “Please let me in, Rhett, it’s cold out here.” Rhett sighed and gently pushed Link inside, shutting the door behind them.

“Mom, Dad, this is… uh…”

“Link. My name’s Link,” the brunet greeted, moving over to the couple and shaking their hands like a proper human. Rhett was rather surprised, and moved back to his spot on the couch. He kept on his toes though, just in case Link slipped up. Rhett’s parents smiled at the new guest, and greeted themselves brightly.

“Are you a friend of Rhett’s?” Diane asked as Link sat beside his boyfriend on the sofa.

“I like to think we’re pretty close. What do you think, Rhett?” Link asked, draping his arm over Rhett’s shoulders with a giggle. The action gave Rhett goose bumps, and his eyes immediately moved back and forth from his mother to his father, who were both chuckling at the tease. A blush crept on his strained face as he attempted to join in with their laughter. Once the giggles began to subside, Link let go of Rhett, subtly trailing his fingers across his back in the process.

“You gonna keep your hat on?” Rhett’s father asked, indicating the beanie pulled tight over Link’s head.

Link’s face lost a smidge of color at the question. He pulled the hat further down his head, making sure nothing was poking out. “I… always wear this hat,” he lied. “It’s my thing.” Rhett chuckled at the fib, yet was quite impressed he was able to defend himself like that.

“Anyway, it’s good to know Rhett’s able to find good friends over here. He’s usually so quiet,” Diane commented, reaching for a cookie. Link eyed the sweet-smelling food and tilted his head. “Did you want one, Link? You can have some too.”

“I, uh, I don’t know about that!” Rhett jumped in, startling the brunet beside him. His parents shot him confused expressions. “Th… Those are chocolate, right? Link, can you eat chocolate?”

“Why?” the brunet asked. Rhett’s parents stared curiously at their son with squinted eyes and furrowed brows as Rhett gestured with his head for Link to lean nearer.

Rhett shielded his mouth from his parents’ view and whispered into Link’s ear, “Cats can’t have chocolate. You could get sick, or worse.”

Link hesitated briefly before backing away. “Come on…” he commented. “Just one can’t be that bad.” He swiped at the container before anyone had the chance to react, claiming a cookie with a crunch. Rhett stopped himself from jumping at the smaller man, for that would just cause a scene. He held his breath, hoping Link would be okay.

“Oh man this is good…” Link growled softly, nibbling the last bite of the cookie. “What are the chunky bits?”

“They’re peanut butter chips,” Mrs. McLaughlin responded with a charming smile.

Immediately, Link looked to Rhett. “Rhett!! We should totally get peanut butter!!” he enthused, shaking the blond’s shoulders violently.

Rhett was quick to speak up. “For the Halloween party?” Link was about to interject, but was stopped when Rhett shot a death glare at him. The brunet collected himself and nodded.

‘Gosh… if he’s gonna keep doing this, they’ll be sure to figure something’s up with us,’ Rhett thought as he rubbed his temples.

Luckily, they were able to keep it together, and even with what happened with the cookie, Rhett was really impressed by Link’s behavior. His anxiety died down as the evening continued, and he was able to act like himself again (for the most part). As much as they felt they were in the clear, Rhett’s parents would be staying the night so they could catch their bus back home in the morning.

After an evening full of stories, laughs, and fibbed memories from the young lovers, they all decided it was a good time to turn in. While Rhett’s parents were setting up the sofa bed, Rhett led Link to the door, as if escorting him to leave. Link passed the house’s threshold and looked back at his blond boyfriend with a charming glint in his eyes.

“I’ll be at the bedroom window,” Link whispered with a shimmering grin. Rhett peeked to where his parents were, making sure they weren’t looking, and then kissed Link’s cheek.

“I’ll be there in a couple minutes. Stay warm until then.” With that, the blond closed the door with a slight pang of guilt for leaving Link outside in the cold. Trying to rid his guilt from his mind, he moved to help his parents set up the sofa bed, bringing in some extra sheets from his bedroom closet.

“I like that little friend of yours, Rhett,” Diane commented as she took a sheet from her son’s arms. “He’s such a sweetie, and so gosh darn funny.”

“Yeah, he is,” Rhett added, not noticing the blush rising to his smiling face.

“You sure have quite a bit of history to have met only about a month or so,” his father chimed as he stuffed a couple pillows into fresh, cotton cases. “You two must spend a lot of time together.”

“You don’t even know how much that lightens my heart, Rhett,” his mother sighed in relief. “When you moved out, I was so worried that you’d be all alone out here without a single friend to care for you.”

“Mom…” Rhett groaned.

“I know, son, but you don’t know how hard it is to let your own child out into the world to fend for themselves,” she whined before kissing her precious son on the cheek. “We just wanted to know that you were getting the love you deserve.”

“It’s still too bad you don’t have a lady friend though,” his father commented. Rhett rolled his eyes to the heavens.

“Stop it, Jim!” Diane snapped, lightly smacking her husband’s arm. Rhett let out an exasperated sigh and started back to his bedroom, remembering his beloved was still waiting for him outside.

“It’s fine. I’ll… I just wanna go to bed now, okay?” he announced, slowly making his way back to his room. “Goodnight.” He entered the sanctuary of his bedroom as quickly as he could, trying not to make it look like he was in a hurry to escape the conversation. Once the tall blond was out of their sight, Diane turned to her husband again.

“Look what you started!” she whispered, pointing her finger at the man.

“Hey, I’m just saying –”

“He’s probably still upset about breaking it off with Tammy, you fool! He’ll get over her eventually, and when he does he’ll find someone who loves him, and he’ll be all over her like –”

“Like he and that boy seem to be,” Jim muttered, making some minor adjustments to the bedding.

Diane was taken aback by his comment, and dropped her jaw at the implication. “What are you talking about?!”

“They were all over each other.”

Diane folded her arms against her chest. “That’s what best friends do, Jim. You can’t tell me you’ve never had something like that.”

Meanwhile, in Rhett’s bedroom, Link was pulled inside. Rhett shut the window as Link cuddled up on the mattress, basking in its promised warmth with light, tender giggles.

“Shhhh!! Dude, ease up on the giggling, man,” Rhett whispered.

“But I’m so warm and toasty!” Link whimpered as he crawled underneath the sheets with a giddy smile stretching from ear to ear.

With a mischievous smirk, Rhett pounced on the giant lump under the covers, throwing his entire weight on the squealing man beneath him. “How ‘bout now? This make you any toastier?” the blond chuckled.

“Actually, yes,” the muffled voice under the covers answered.

“Good. Let’s keep you toasting for a while. I like my toast nice… and hot…” Rhett mumbled with a deep, husky tone. He chuckled at his ridiculous comment as he waited for Link to respond.

“I don’t want to mate with you, Rhett!” he finally answered with a giggle.

“I know. I just like how blushy you get when I flirt with you,” Rhett responded, peeling the covers back to see the smaller man squished beneath his weight. When he saw the brunet’s reddened face, he smiled and planted a teeny kiss on Link’s nose. Rhett finally got off of Link and crawled under the covers with the other man.

“Your parents are nice,” Link commented with a hum. “And your mom makes really good cookies.”

“You seem okay,” Rhett observed. “I guess since you’re mostly human you’re able to handle chocolate better than a kitten would.” He caressed Link’s cheek with the back of his hand, brushing away any hair that was in the way while doing so.

“You seemed really worried about that.”

“Yeah…” His hand slowed its movements to a halt. “At least that’s all over now.”

Link wormed closer until their torsos made contact. He nuzzled into the underside of Rhett’s beard, basking in the way it tickled his skin. “You think they like me?” the cuddly brunet asked. A faint purr filtered his soft voice.

“How could they not? You’re the sweetest person alive,” Rhett answered, smiling at the man snuggled up in his arms. “And yes, I do mean person.”

Link blushed at his words, feeling quite happy and accomplished of earning that title. In heat of the moment, he pressed his lips against Rhett’s, who hummed at the touch. They kept the kiss going, using pressure so light it was almost tantalizing, and neither of the two wanted to stop. They were lost in the moment, happy to be in the other’s arms.

They barely noticed the door opening.

“Oh my God!!” squealed Rhett’s mother, whose horrified voice startled the two apart. The two men stared doe-eyed at the intruder as Diane took in the sight before her. She spotted the large, fuzzy ears poking out the sides of Link’s head, and immediately freaked out. “WHAT IS THAT?!?!” she shouted, grabbing for something in the hallway closet.

“Mom! Please!! Let me explain!!” Rhett begged, jumping out from the covers and starting towards his terrified mother.

“Shut your trap, Rhett! I can’t believe you’d let this… this MONSTER in your bed!!!” In one motion, she swiped the broom out from inside the closet and armed herself with it, shoving the bristled end toward her son.

“He’s not a monster!! Leave him alone!!” Rhett yelled, refusing to let his mother through. As hard as he braced against her, she still managed to shove her way through toward the quivering man on the bed.

She prodded and swung the dusty broom at the poor man, who dodged as best as he could, but to no avail. Rhett lunged at his mother, grabbing the broom and restraining her movement as best as he could without hurting her.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Rhett’s father chimed in, witnessing all the drama that was being contained in the room.

“Stop it!! Please!!!” he cried, holding her back with all his might.

“Let go of me, Rhett – before you’re in more trouble than you already are!!!”

Link took the opportunity to escape through the window above the headboard. He was thankful to have made it out safely, but he worried for Rhett’s sake. However, he decided that it would probably be in his best interest to make a run for it. He was certain Rhett could take care of himself. With that, the cold, terrified brunet took off. Eventually, his speed wasn’t satisfactory for his needs, so he transitioned on running on all fours. His body began to grow smaller, and thick brown hair began sprouting and shielding his body from the freezing air. He didn’t mind, as his speed made a sudden incline, helping him get away from Rhett’s house as quickly as he could.

Rhett yanked the broom away from his rampaging mother and leapt for the open window.

“Link!!!” he yelled, hoping the other man hadn’t travelled too far. He furiously turned back to his mother, who was utterly terrified and helpless now that her weapon had been ripped from her grasp. Her husband moved to comfort his panting wife.

“What is wrong with you?!?!” Rhett growled, thrusting the broom away, snapping it in half as it crashed against the bedroom wall. He stomped past Diane, who was appalled by the way Rhett was treating her.

“I… I was doing what was right…” she defended.

“No! You didn’t even want to listen to me!” Rhett barked, shoving his feet into a pair of boots. “I love him! Did you know that?!?! I love him and you scared him off!! Who knows where he is now!! He’s never been out there by himself!! He could get lost out there, and I might never see him again!!” Tears began welling up in his fierce gaze as he got up and headed to the front door.

“Where are you going?!” his father shouted, still holding his trembling wife for comfort.

“I’m gonna find Link.” Rhett whipped the front door open, letting the icy breeze flood the house in mere seconds. He marched out the door, slamming it behind him.


	11. Chapter 11

“Link!!! LIIIINK!!!!!” Rhett called, shivering mercilessly in the icy wind. It was unfortunate enough that it was pitch black outside, but the mid-autumn chill took its toll on the underdressed man, donning nothing warmer than a t-shirt and jeans. He continued calling into the night, terrified of what could’ve happened to his poor Link. He spotted one or two people during his search, but he didn’t know what to say he was looking for – a man or a kitten. He was determined nonetheless, so he just kept shouting instead.

He was out for nearly two hours. He had searched many blocks and neighborhoods, even moving towards the downtown area all without a hint of luck. He was at the point where his hands were so colorless and numb, it was hard for him to carry on. His shouts for his beloved Link began to diminish with each passing second.

“Liiink…” he mumbled through shivers and sobs. The tears flowing down his tingling face only made the man even more miserable as his skin became more vulnerable to the unfriendly weather. Rhett found himself collapsed on the side of a road, uncertain as to how he got there or even when he fell. He pulled his knees to his chest, barely warming himself regardless of the rough gravel burning frozen sores against his side.

He could see the lights from the downtown area, but he was too far away for any to illuminate his near surroundings. One thing Rhett knew for certain was that he was alone. Not a soul ventured the streets this late, and he’d be lucky if a car passed. But there he lied… growing paler and weaker as the icy air consumed him.

“Link…” he continued to cry, the sound barely passing his chapped, pale lips. His vision began to blur and bounce as he blinked, darkening everything around him even more until even the brightest of lights faded to black.

Meanwhile, a strange being heard the blond’s desperate cries. It wasn’t quite human, nor was it quite feline… yet somewhere between the two. It was about as big as a medium-sized dog, with thick dark fur fluffing out to brace the record-breaking chill. Its dilated eyes seemed to glow as the faint crescent moon reflected on its bright blue irises. The clothes that adorned it fit loose on the animal’s body. Its head rose, ears perking up in the direction of the wails howling through the vacant night. The familiar voice warmed his little heart as his body took immediate change, regaining more humanlike structure and facial features.

He tromped forward, eventually rising up on his back legs as his body took on more and more changes. With every step, his bones reconfigured and his fur retracted back into his body, leaving only what was normal for his human self, exposing him to the brutal wind. He ran for quite a while after he stopped hearing his companion’s calls. Finally finding his voice, the running brunet shouted back. Hopefully, his beloved friend hadn’t given up on him.

“Rhett!!!” he called, baring a quivering grin. He wished he knew where he was going. It was bad enough he ran so far away from home, but he was so worried what would’ve happened to him had Rhett’s mother caught up with him.

There was no response, but Link could recognize his partner’s smell from blocks away. His smile grew wider and wider as he neared his destination, ignoring the unbearable chill overcoming his relatively unprotected body. He kept calling, knowing he’d catch up to Rhett soon.

And find him he did.

Link stopped dead in his tracks at the ghastly sight. He would’ve gasped if his breath wasn’t caught in his throat. He threw himself at the motionless, ice cold figure on the side of the road. His usual warm, cherry cheeks had turned blotchy and pale, and his fingers took on a light grayish hue. What hurt Link the most was how dark and irritated the skin was around Rhett’s resting eyes. The poor man was soaked as well, no doubt from all the running the giant had endured.

Link held the man to his chest, thankful that he was still breathing. He couldn’t take Rhett all the way back home. He needed special attention… from people who knew what to do. A hospital… Link thought, recalling some of Rhett’s lessons on human behavior. He dug into Rhett’s pockets until he found what he was looking for – his cell phone. He turned the device on, only for it to shut off abruptly on its own. He knew the hospital was downtown, and they weren’t too far from it. Link believed he might be able to carry him, but he was still terrified of the possible consequences. Regardless, he lifted the heavy man, barely able to hold him up on his shoulder.

He trudged up the road, legs trembling beneath him and the overwhelming weight of his companion pushing against his back. Once they got to the main road, Link paused to breathe – as difficult as it was in the blasted wind. He didn’t want to take too long though, for they were only a mile or so away from the hospital and the earliest he got Rhett there, the more likely he’d be okay.

He lugged the unconscious man onto his other shoulder this time, careful as to not drop the poor man. He didn’t get very far when some bright headlights shone on them. Ecstatic with relief, Link waved his arm to the approaching vehicle. The car slowly pulled up by the desperate sight before it as the driver’s window rolled down.

“Hospital!!” Link huffed, sweat pouring down the terrified brunet. “Please!!”

“He still breathing?” the driver asked, rushing out of his car to the men. Link checked once more, and nodded in confirmation. The man grabbed a hold of Rhett’s legs as Link supported his shoulders and head, carrying the ice cold body into the back seat. Link insisted on sitting in the back with him, resting Rhett’s head on his lap as they were chauffeured to the hospital. “How are you not wearing a jacket in this weather?”

“It’s a long story,” was all Link could say about the matter as he gently caressed Rhett’s pale, blotchy face.

“Well it’s a good thing there’s barely anyone on the road tonight. We’ll be at the hospital soon.” The man continued on, slightly speeding for the sake of the poor gentlemen.

“Thank you,” Link nearly whispered, shivering profusely as the heat slowly warmed him up.

After a couple minutes, they arrived. The driver fled the vehicle and ran inside the facility, coming back with a nurse pushing a wheelchair to the car. The three of them hoisted the unconscious giant into it before the nurse ushered him inside. Link started towards them, but was stopped as the driver put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Hey… if you need the company, I can stay here for a few minutes. My plane doesn’t leave for another forty minutes,” the gentleman said. “I wanna make sure your buddy’s okay.”

“No… No, I… I think he’ll be all right… You go catch your plane. You don’t… You don’t want to miss that.” Although he kept telling himself Rhett would be fine, he had a hard time trying to keep himself from crying in front of this kind stranger. The man saw the tears quickly welling up in those sapphire eyes, and pulled Link into a hug that was immediately reciprocated. “You’ve been… more than helpful already,” Link breathed between heavy sobs as the man’s embrace shielded his body from the cold.

“You sure?” the man asked, patting Link’s back gingerly. When he felt the other man nod on his shoulder, he pulled back and agreed. Releasing Link, he dug into his pocket and handed him what looked like a business card with the man’s name and cell phone number on it. “Then let me know what happens, okay? He seems really important to you… He’s lucky he has someone he can count on. Heck, you even tried to carry him here. That takes a lot of willpower, man.” Link looked at the shorter man with a struggling grin, barely able to feel the tears streaming down his puffy face.

“Okay…” Link replied, reading the card under the hospital’s awning light. “Thanks, Chuck.” The man patted Link’s shoulder one last time before going back into his car, tapping the horn as he drove off into the darkness of the night.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: hospital scene

“Noo!! Please! PLEASE!!” Link cried, slamming his hands on the surface before him. He pleaded desperately into the dim green eyes before him, peering back in exhaustion.

“I –”

“Just… Please!!” With another slam against the table, Link’s temper died down to heartbreaking sniffles. “Please…”

The young receptionist laid a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Listen, sir…” she started, keeping her voice calm for the sake of the visitor. “I understand you care about his well-being… but it’s against the rules to let anyone in if they’re not on the emergency list. Especially if they don’t have proof of their identity.” Link lifted his heavy head and gazed up at her with reddened, irritated eyes. His face was gleaming with trails of terrified tears. “Until the doctor comes out with a full report, those doors remain closed. I’m sorry.” She rubbed his shoulder as gently as she could, but it didn’t seem to sway his emotions.

“But I…”

“He’s with me,” called a voice Link found familiar. Both the receptionist and Link turned to the visitor in surprise. An older woman walked up behind Link, showing off a laminated card with her picture on it. “I’m the patient’s mother.”

Link immediately ducked and pulled away, but he told himself to stay put so another incident like earlier wouldn’t happen. Diane shot the man an undecipherable glare as she handed the receptionist her card.

“Thank you, Mrs. McLaughlin. Rhett’s in room 208. Upstairs, down the hall on your left.” She handed the card back, along with two lanyards with laminated cards attached with the word ‘Visitor’ on them. Diane placed one of them around Link’s neck. The man flinched slightly at the action, almost anticipating being whacked with a broom.

“Come now, Link,” she called starkly, walking towards the double doors. Link felt it necessary to be obedient to her, though his confusion still got the best of him. He scurried after her before the doors shut, catching up to her rather quickly.

The walk to Rhett’s room felt excruciatingly long, and the agonizing silence that carried between the two of them rang loud in Link’s sensitive ears. He couldn’t keep his eyes away from the woman. Her posture exuded power and dominance over the cowering brunet. He could feel the itching sensation of his hairs standing on end. Earlier she had threatened him with a broom, yelling and scowling at the poor guy. She even went as far as to call him a monster. Now here she was, inviting him to accompany her as she visited her dear son. She didn’t have to be so kind to him, especially after what had happened between them, but she did. That alone made Link very grateful.

"Th-Thank you… Ma'am…” he mumbled, still too afraid to interact with her. Diane kept walking, her focus remained ahead of her. “How did you… know to come here?” He wrung his hands together, fingers entangled anxiously.

“I received a call from the hospital.” That was all she said. The rest of the walk remained silent.

When they finally reached the correct room, Link barged inside, nearly bumping into a nurse in the process. He apologized, then shot a hopeful gaze to the opposite side of the room, seeing nothing but a cloth room partition draping from the ceiling.

“Is Rhett back there?!” Link cried, grasping the nurse’s sleeves for dear life.

“Yes, Mr. McLaughlin is resting just behind the curtain there. Please be gentle with him,” the nurse replied, keeping her voice as friendly as she could regardless of how rough Link was being with her. He immediately released the woman, and then trotted over as quickly and carefully as he could.

He shoved the curtain aside to find his dearly beloved lying on an inclined hospital bed. He had a lot more color than he did when they were out in the cold, but there were patches of blotchy redness on his cheeks and fingers, as well as dark rings around his closed eyes. Link sighed in relief at the assuring sight of the man’s chest softly rising and falling. The brunet took a moment to look at what the nurses had done. A long plastic tube was fastened to Rhett’s inner arm. The strange liquid contents of the suspended bag at the other end of the tubing confused Link, but he trusted his caretakers knew what he needed. There were more tubes strapped around his head and partly inserted into his nose. Link curiously gave the tube a light touch, and was surprised to find it quite warm. A number of blankets were wrapped and draped on him from the neck down. The mere sight of the resting man emanated warmth.

His gaze continued roaming about Rhett’s body until finally resting at his upturned hand. He reached out and gently grasped it, feeling the dry, slightly chilled fingers twitch against his palm. He couldn’t stop his own hand from shaking as he watched Rhett’s head turn ever so slightly in his direction. His eyes barely opened, squinting and fluttering at the sudden brightness of the room. Link gave Rhett’s hand a gentle squeeze as a heart-warming smile stretched across his face. Rhett smiled back with a quiver in his lip. In a cautious motion, Rhett released the brunet’s hand and pulled him into a light, one-armed hug. Link held the other man’s shoulders, afraid of touching any of the equipment on the hospitalized man.

“I’m… I’m so glad you’re okay,” Link cried, his voice barely above a whisper through light tears of joy and relief. He let his head fall beside Rhett’s head, nuzzling around the tube that gave him warm oxygen.

“How did…?” Rhett mumbled, his voice gritty and broken from exhaustion.

Link held himself up to place a kiss on Rhett’s nose. “I carried you…” Rhett gazed up at the relieved man above him. He took in every detail of Link’s face, as if he hadn’t seen the man in a decade or two. The very thought of Link finding his unconscious body in the dead of night, carrying him to find help brought tears to his eyes.

“You must’ve been so scared…” the blond responded, rubbing his hand on Link’s back.

“I was terrified!!” Link corrected, pulling himself against Rhett once more. Rhett wished he could move his other arm to hug his lover properly, but he didn’t want to mess with the IV. Instead, he squeezed Link closer with the one arm and pressed a kiss against the ruffles in Link’s hair.

“You’re very brave,” Rhett whispered before nuzzling against the side of Link’s head. His nose pushed the hair away from the structure beneath it, and the mere sight of it brought a wide grin to his face. “You have cute ears,” the blond commented, making Link shiver with his quiet, raspy tone.

“You always say that,” Link answered. His voice was muffled against Rhett’s pillow-like chest.

“Sounds like you haven’t looked in a mirror lately,” Rhett said with a chuckle. Curious, Link brought a hand to the side of his head, gliding the tips of his fingers across his hair until he felt something peculiar. His ears were no longer cone-shaped and were positioned lower on his head. He ran his fingers over the intricate folds of cartilage, which tickled his nerves. “How’s your tail?” Rhett asked, giving Link’s ears a feel for himself.

“I… I don’t feel it, if that’s what you mean…” the brunet responded. A giddy smile donned his blushing face, and it took everything he had to keep himself from squealing in excitement. Rhett yanked Link back down, clearly no longer concerned about the things attached to him, and squeezed him as hard as he could. The giddy couple giggled to their hearts’ content as they sprinkled each other’s faces with thrilled kisses.

Rhett stopped when movement beyond Link caught his eye. The second he recognized the figure as his mother, he clutched Link tighter and shot a livid glare at the approaching woman.

“Please, son…” she begged, her voice soft and gentle.

Link squirmed eagerly, trying to free himself from Rhett’s death grip. “Rhett, she’s the one who let me in here. The least you could do is listen to her.” Rhett shot a shocked expression at the man in his arms. The kitten-like gaze in Link’s pleading eyes convinced him to release him, but he kept a level of skepticism when he allowed his mother to come nearer.

“How are you feeling, honey?” she asked, keeping her voice low. She reached out for him, but retracted when his glare grew angrier.

“I’m fine,” he replied bluntly. His focus remained on her eyes, threatening her silently like a wild animal. Diane looked at all the equipment hooked up to her dear son, and brought a hand to her face in shame.

“Rhett, I… I’m so sorry. None of this should’ve happened and…” She laid a hand on the corner of the bed. With Rhett as upset as he was, she wouldn’t dare move her hand closer. “I take full blame for all of it… Because of me, I hurt and almost lost you… in more ways than one.” She reached for Link’s hand, softly holding it in her own. The brunet remained obedient, trusting she wouldn’t hurt either of them. “It’s strange to me how you could be so close to a man, or cat, or whatever he is… but…” She moved Link’s hand to Rhett’s, holding the two palms together firmly. “It’s clear to me how strong your love for each other is… and that’s all I ever wanted for you… to be loved and happy.”

Rhett clutched his lover’s hand as his mother continued holding them together. He finally took his eyes away from her to see his and Link’s fingers intertwine perfectly. His gaze followed up Link’s arm until he met his smiling face. He still couldn’t wrap around his head how Link’s ears finally transformed, and apparently he no longer had his tail. What could’ve caused this? The man had been terrified at the sight of his unconscious body, yet somehow put his fears aside for his sake. He saved his life out there. If he was never chased out, would he still have changed? All Rhett knew was that before he was chased out, he was more catlike. Now as he looked at him, all Rhett could see was a beautiful, brave, and kind-hearted man who he was proud to call his boyfriend. Whatever it was that caused it, it must’ve had something to do with the encounter with his mother.

He smiled back at the man standing beside him before looking back at his mother. His eyes were much calmer than before, and his tone more relaxed. “I still can’t forgive you for what you did to Link… but… thank you.”

“Excuse me,” called a woman from the other side of the curtain. Diane pulled it back to let the nurse in. “I’m sorry. I just need to run some tests here on Mr. McLaughlin.”

“Will he be able to come home soon?” Link asked, still holding Rhett’s hand as if he was his lifeline.

The nurse looked at the two of them and nodded with a smile. “He should just be a day or two at the longest. We still need to check his nerves and see how his temperature is catching up. Luckily the frost damage isn’t permanent, and he should be able to continue treatment at home. Dr. Morinehtar will need to talk with a family member about that.”

“He can talk to the doctor,” Diane stated, looking over at Link with a smile. “I can trust him to take good care of my son.”

“Sounds good, ma’am,” the nurse commented with a nod. Diane looked over at the two men once more. She smiled at the sight of Link knelt over as the two embraced. Rhett’s hand moved in light strokes on the other man’s back.

“He may also want to keep Rhett company overnight if that’s all right,” she whispered to the nurse, who glanced over at the embracing couple with a sweet smile.

“Of course.”


	13. Chapter 13

The bedroom door creaked open as Link comes in, cautiously carrying a bowl of hot soup. Rhett smiled at the brunet from under the bed sheets. He wiggled in merry anticipation as his partner approached with his lunch.

“It’s been two days… How’re you feeling?” Link asked, setting the bowl on the nightstand beside Rhett.

“I can feel my fingers again,” he enthused, lifting his hands to Link, who held them gently for a better view. “They don’t look too bad, do they?” Link grazed his fingers along the man’s tender, chapped fingertips. They weren’t really blistered anymore, thank goodness, but the skin was having a hard time growing back to normal.

“You’re not peeling or scratching them again, are you?” Link asked accusingly.

“I know, I know… It’s like chicken pox all over again.”

“Chicken pox?!?! Do you turn into an itchy chicken?!?!”

“Oh gosh, no!” Rhett laughed. “But it does make you itchy… I don’t even know why they call it chicken pox.”

Link chuckled before giving Rhett’s healing hands a small peck. He knew how much Rhett loved it when he gave him tiny kisses, and he wasn’t disappointed by the blushy smile on his bearded face.

“Oh, uh… Your soup,” Link recalled, reaching for the bowl and spoon.

Rhett lightly grabbed Link’s arm, claiming his attention once more. “I think I can handle feeding myself today, if that’s all right with you.” Link nodded and sat with Rhett on the edge of the bed, carefully watching to make sure the blond wouldn’t hurt himself.

Rhett held the bowl tenderly, cautious of the heat on his fingertips. He slowly brought it to his lap and lifted the spoon full of the savory broth to his mouth. Link leaned closer, awaiting affirmation.

“It’s really good, Link.” Rhett took another spoonful. “The noodles taste a little overcooked, but I like it… It warms me up real good.” He shot the man beside him an amorous grin before putting the spoon back in the bowl. “You know what would really make me feel better right now?”

“What’s that?” Link asked, slightly nervous about the possible answer.

Rhett giggled a bit, blushing as he put the bowl back on the nightstand. “I was thinking I could use some kitty cuddles…” he answered. “It’s been a while since you last purred in my arms.”

“But I – I thought you like me being human… and I just started getting the hang of cleaning these weird ears.”

Rhett pulled the brunet into a gentle embrace. “I like you as a cat too. I said this a long time ago. I love you for who you are, whatever you choose to be… and I wouldn’t give you up for the world.” He kissed the very tip of Link’s nose, reminding the both of them of their first night together. Link remembered how much he adored him then, and how much bigger he seemed. When he curled up against Rhett’s warm, soft neck, he felt truly happy for the first time in many years. “You don’t have to turn back if you don’t want to… Human cuddles are just as sweet,” Rhett muttered as he fiddled with the soft hair on the nape of Link’s neck.

With glistening eyes, Link snuggled up to the bigger man, relaxing into his warm embrace. He nuzzled his nose against Rhett’s collarbone as he whispered with a slight rasp, “I want to.”

He soon found himself growing smaller and warmer as his body hair thickened and turned into silky dark fur. The back of his throat began to gently vibrate to the soothing beat of Rhett’s heart.

Rhett couldn’t stop smiling as he watched his companion shrink into his pooling clothing. Rhett moved them and Link’s fallen glasses aside before gazing down at the adorable little fluffball that changed his life. Link pranced joyously on the man’s lap and squeaked as loud as his tiny self could. Rhett cooed at the little noise, and then lifted his little companion up to his face. The kitten laid a gentle paw on the tip of Rhett’s nose, making Rhett giggle like a child. He lied back down into the covers and put Link down by his face. The fluffy little kitten waddled closer to lick Rhett’s nose before rubbing up against his beard.

“Linky?” Rhett whispered, his voice high and sing-songy. Link let out a soft mew and wiggled up until Rhett could see him better. “I’m so glad I picked you.” He kissed the kitten’s tiny nose once more. The amount of pure love that filled Link’s heart caused him to change again. It didn’t take long for him to regain his mostly human form, lying bare against the bigger man. His yoda-like ears poked out the sides of his head, earning a giggle from his companion. Rhett wrapped an arm around Link and held his warm body close.

“Me too,” Link purred, breathing softly against Rhett’s chest.


End file.
